Through the Seeing Stone
by Jessie Brown 4
Summary: Three hobbits were sent away from Middle-Earth to reside in a world full of humans. They forge a life in 2013, knowing nothing of the Lord of the Rings as it does not exist in this world. After Sauron's defeat in Middle-Earth, his spirit fled to this world and took the form of a human. The four hobbits must go to this world to save these lost Hobbits.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Through the Seeing Stone

Summary: Three Hobbit girls were sent away from the world of Middle Earth to reside in the mortal world full of humans only. They forge a life in 2013 with no knowledge of Lord of the Rings as it does not exist in their world. After Sauron's defeat in Mordor his spirit fled and took charge of a modern American High School. The Hobbits and Gandalf now must go to Earth and save the world from peril, while encountering the three hobbits who know nothing of their true identity.

Written By: May Waters, Jessie Brown, Ruby Pool

Rated: T

Characters: Gandalf, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Three OC's: Samantha Foote, Tricia Tims,

**Note: Hey People! I'm sorry for the confusion. I hope you enjoy this story! For a while, May Waters was writing this with me and Ruby Pool, but she has gotten busy and decided to let the two of us finish this. **

**_Chapter 1_**

_First of All_

May Waters

"So I was thinking we could put this bit on the Lit Mag blog," Samantha was saying as she worked on her mini iPad. She was about five foot nine inches, and the tallest of her two best friends. Except for the girl she was talking to now, the fashionista of the human world. Kyra. Samantha swept her brown bob out of her face, attempting to not mess up her carefully laid bangs. Her light hazel eyes examined the screen before her with diligence- this was her high school duty, and she was determined to make the most of it. Her grade depended on this year long project.

"What are you girls up to?" Samantha looked up to see Mr. Kochevar leaning over them with a much too curious expression on his face.

"We're working on the class blog," Samantha told him turning back to her typing.

"Ah, keep up the good work." The principal walked away, Kyra's and Samantha's eyes following him until he stopped at another table to talk to some of the other teenagers.

"What do you think?" Samantha turned back to her original conversation.

"Yeah, it'll work." Kyra replied just as Tricia and Morgan sat down, Tricia's lunchbox making a small thump.

"Hey," Tricia greeted with a wide grin.

"Hi guys," Samantha returned using her bluetooth keyboard to change applications.

"What are you working on today?" Morgan asked digging through her backpack for the celery sticks she packed in the morning.

"I just finished planning out a page for the blog, now I'm working on my latest novel." Samantha explained beginning her typing, only breaking to take a bite of her sandwich or enjoy one of the chips. Sharing her four cookies between those sitting at the table.

"Hey, do you want to come over after school today? We could watch Pirates of the Caribbean and do something."

"I have to study for Physics, sorry." Morgan declined.

"Work," Kyra stated, though Samantha already knew she'd want to watch something more like Mean Girls over Pirates.

"I have musical rehearsal." Tricia explained further, Samantha deflated only a bit.

"I need a job,"

"Would you like to donate a dollar to the Breast Cancer society and get some coupons for Jamba Juice?" Kyra held up some pink papers with the store's logo on them.

"I would, but I don't have a dollar." Samantha replied.

"You guys?"

"Nope, sorry Kyra." Morgan piped up while Tricia shook her head.

"Oh well,"

"It seems I have one more adventure for the four of you." Gandalf announced, while he sat enjoying the weed from South Farthing with Frodo, Samwise, Meriadoc, and Peregrin.

"Have you not asked enough of us yet Gandalf? We went to Mordor and back for you," Frodo teased blowing out a slow smoke ring.

"Traveling to Mordor was of your own volition, may I remind you Frodo Baggins." Gandalf chuckled. "I asked you only to bring the ring to Rivendell,"

"Yes, but, it was on your account I stopped all the fighting during the council."

"Frodo Baggins, it seems you have surprised me yet again. That's twice within the years I've known you."

"What is it you want us to do Gandalf?" Pippin asked excitedly, nearly bounding out of his chair.

"Before, when you were all born there were three other hobbit girls born. I could sense the evil starting to come towards this land and I managed to send them away. To another world,"

"You sent three of our own kind to another world?" Merry looked confused, which was quite understandable in a situation like this.

"I did, in order to protect them, but it seems I was mistaken." Gandalf looked down, smoke billowing out from his mouth with no particular shape in mind.

"You were mistaken, how?" Pippin asked in shock.

"It seems Sauron's spirit was destroyed in this world, but managed to escape to the world where they are. It is indeed quite troubling." Gandalf explained.

"Sauron is still alive?" Frodo looked scared, just as he should with this news bringing back old pains and struggles.

"Yes, but this time it should be far easier to kill him. His soul is no longer connected to the ring, so it is a matter of finding him and destroying his soul altogether."

"How did you get them to this other world?" Sam questioned leaning back in the chair.

"There is a stone set just outside Rivendell known as the Seeing Stone. You can use it to see other worlds besides our own and on occasions, send other's through it."

"On occasion?"

"Every blue moon,"

"Then how are we to get to this world to try and stop Sauron from destroying it?"

"There is a blue moon in a few weeks, just enough time for one to travel to Rivendell and prepare for a new world."

"Well then, I'm going. Besides you need hero's like us for this sort of mission, quest, adventure." Pippin nodded at his genius, Merry raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

"If Pippin is going, then so am I." Merry smiled putting his own pipe back between his teeth.

"I want to go to, I stopped Sauron once, and I want to finish the job."

"If Frodo's going then I'd better go to keep him out of trouble," Sam grinned and shoved Frodo playfully who returned the gesture.

"Then you four shall go, the Stone Travelers you'll be known as." Gandalf stood and made his way towards the door. "I suggest you all get ready, we leave tomorrow at dawn."

"Great, where are we going?" Pippin jumped up as well, a biscuit in hand.

"Earth," Gandalf replied before disappearing into the night.

**Please leave us a review! Hopefully the next chapter will be here soon. YAY LOTR! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two_**

_Revelations _

Ruby Pool 

The sun had not even begun to rise when a loud knocking sound came at the Gamgee door. "Coming!" Sam called as loudly as he dared, as he rushed to answer it (luckily he was already dressed and ready for the big day ahead) wondering why any of his friends would be here quite so early. Sure Gandalf had said they were leaving at dawn but that was at least a half hour away.

"Good morning Samwise Gamgee, there is something I must discuss with you. Could you please awake your parents, this concerns them too." Gandalf told him, sounding completely self-assured as he pushed his way past Sam and into their quaint little Hobbit hole.

"Um… of course." He agreed somewhat reluctantly, rushing to his knock at his parent's bedroom door feeling extremely guilty as he did so. "Ma, Gaffer! Gandalf's here! He'd like to speak with us."

"Gandalf? The Wizard? What would he like to speak to us for?" The old Gaffer asked as he groggily came out of the room, his wife right behind him both still dressed in their night clothes.

"I'm not sure," Sam admitted sheepishly as he led the way back to the front hall where the old Wizard was waiting. "But he seems to think it's important."

"It is important." He insisted sounding slightly offended that Sam would even insinuate it wasn't. "Especially if you want to be truly prepared for our upcoming adventure."

"You mean our journey to Earth?" Sam asked thoroughly confused, though his parents seemed to instantly stiffen at the mention of the place. "What could you have to tell me that you won't need to tell the others?"

"Perhaps if you could remain quiet for a moment, I would explain." He snapped, startling Sam into silence. "That's better. You see my dear Hobbit, one of those three girls that I sent to another world, was your sister."

"My sister!" Sam gasped in surprise, his parents wincing as he did so. "But that's impossible! I have only three sisters, Daisy, May, and Marigold. And I know for a fact that they are all here safe and sound."

"Those are the only sisters that you know of." Gandalf corrected him. "There was another, ask your parents if you don't believe me."

"He's telling you the truth Sam." Bell Gamgee whimpered, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she raised her head to meet her sons bewildered gaze.

"But how is that even possible? You said that they were born around the same time as us. Surely my mother couldn't have had two children so close together unless…." He trailed off, eyes widening as the truth suddenly hit him with a horribly painful blow.

"Yes Sam." The Old Gaffer confirmed what was rapidly becoming Sam's worst nightmare, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "She was your twin."

"I'm a…. twin." Sam breathed slowly blinking slowly as the daze that had settled over him began to evaporate under a hot anger. "How could you keep this from me?!"

"We're sorry Sam; we always wanted to tell you, it was just too painful." His mother apologized, her tears falling freely now as she thought of the child she had lost, but his own pain was too fierce for him to pity her.

"That's no excuse. She was my twin, mother! My other half! The least you could have done was tell me about her!" He exclaimed angrily, doing his best to control his temper and not wake up any of his siblings but it was difficult. "Why would you give her away in the first place?"

"We didn't give her away, Sam." His father insisted, instantly defensive of their actions. "We sent her with Gandalf for her own protection."

"Her protection?"

"Yes. One of the girl's parents were killed by evil folk, servants of Sauron we now believe, and her life was barely spared. Gandalf told us he was taking her away from the Shire, from all of Middle-Earth really, to a world where she would be safe. He insisted on taking your sister along as well."

"But why?"

"Because I sensed something special about her from almost the day the two of you were born." Gandalf cut in, sighing that such a thing was even necessary. In his opinion his advice should always be enough. "Bilbo did as well. In fact we were actually quite intrigued by both of you, but she was the one who had a truly peculiar air about her. I knew I had to get her out of the Shire before Sauron could take notice, and besides I sensed even at that time that you would serve a greater purpose right here; and I was right."

"What's her name?" Sam finally asked, his voice slightly more controlled once it had all sunk in.

"We can't tell you." Gandalf quickly replied before either parent could respond. "You must find her on your own. Your bond as twins will be one of your greatest strengths on this adventure, and it is vital that you use it to discover her, or it won't mean nearly as much and thus be severely weakened."

"Can you at least tell me what she looks like then?"

"We're not sure. You were only babies when she left." His mother recalled wistfully. "I can only imagine what she looks like now."

"Beautiful I'm sure." The Old Gaffer murmured, a single tear escaping his own eye.

"A word of advice Samwise Gamgee," Gandalf cut in looking the young hobbit right in the eye as he continued. "You'll have an easier time discovering her if you search with your heart, rather than your eyes."

"I'd have an easier time discovering her if you'd just tell me her name!" He shouted in response before storming out of the Hobbit hole, to frustrated and overwhelmed to remain in the same room with these people who had kept this important truth from him his entire life. He, Samwise Gamgee, was a twin.

"Sam!" He heard a voice call out to him before he had gotten very far, and he turned to see none other than Rosie Cotton running to catch up with him. "Sam! What's wrong?"

"Oh hello Rosie," Sam began blushing to think he'd been caught in such a horrible mood by the one Hobbit lass who truly held his heart in her hands. "Nothing's wrong. Gandalf's just got another adventure for us and…"

"Another adventure?!" Rosie cried looking shocked and hurt all at once. "You're leaving me again, Samwise?"

"I'm sorry Rosie, but I must. It seems Sauron's spirit was not completely demolished when Frodo destroyed the ring, but he simply fled to another world. But that's not all. Apparently Gandalf sent three Hobbit girls there when they were born. So not only do we have to destroy Sauron once and for all, but we must save them as well. And…." He explained, but Rosie cut him off before he could continue.

"I'm coming with you then."

"What?"

"You heard me. I can see that your mission is of the greatest importance, but I refuse to be parted from you ever again. Not like last time. Besides perhaps I could help."

"You make a good argument my dear Rosie." Gandalf mused as he came up behind the two startled Hobbits. "Very well. Hurry and pack your things, we meet at Bag-End in twenty minutes. Be quick now." With that Rosie raced off back in the direction of her home, the sun's light just beginning to peak over the mountains, though the moon still clearly ruled the sky.

"What? Why would you do that? This could be dangerous!" Sam protested glaring at Gandalf.

"No more dangerous than if she tried to follow us on her own, which I do not doubt she would do." He reasoned, and Sam had to concede he was right. "You didn't tell her did you?"

"No I didn't get a chance."

"Good. You must tell no one Sam. This is your task and your task alone."

"But how can I keep such a secret from her? She's practically my fiancée!"

"Rosie's a smart girl, I'm sure she'll figure it out on her own. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if she discovered who she was before you do."

"I wouldn't either." Sam agreed sighing, still feeling frustrated but at least slightly more uplifted than before, as he and turned back into the house to grab the things he had gathered for the journey ahead.

~jb~

The journey to Rivendell went quite smooth, at least compared to their first visit there, though they still met with a delay or two (which is only to be expected when traveling in the wild). When they finally arrived, it was the day of the full moon and Gandalf saw to it that they all washed up and were able to have a marvelous meal before their adventure truly began. Once that was finished he led them to a small balcony, where a large blue stone lay underneath the light of the equally blue moon. The hobbits gazed at its beautiful reflecting gleam for what felt like a long moment before Gandalf finally broke the silence.

"Now before we travel to this new world, there are a few things you must know." He told them with the most serious tone he could manage. "For one, hobbits do not exist there at all and never have. They once had dwarves and elves among them, but they have all disappeared and most do not believe that they ever existed. It is completely run by humans, although they do have many animals as well."

"How shall we ever fit in then?" Merry asked perplexed. "If there are no hobbits, and how did the girls last as long as they have?"

"Because I disguised them as humans as I sent them through the Stone, just as I will do to all of you." He explained a bit impatiently. "Anyway as I was saying, their children all go to a place they call school from five years old to eighteen. Here they learn more about their world, its history, languages, and so forth. This is where you will be going, to the girl's high school."

"You mean they're not even in their tweens?" Sam exclaimed completely taken aback by this revelation for obvious reasons. "But I thought they were supposed to be the same age as us!"

"They are, time simply goes slower there then it does here. Technically when they return to Middle-Earth they will be the same age, just as you will be theirs on our adventure. Don't worry Samwise, I'm sure their maturity level is the same."

"What about food? What kind of food do they have?" Pippin asked, getting to what he felt was the real heart of the matter.

"Oh lots of different things, many of which you have never dreamed of. However you'll be surprised to learn my young Peregrin Took, that they only have meals three times." Gandalf replied waiting for the unavoidable outburst. They didn't disappoint him.

"Only three meals a day!" Each of the hobbits cried out in horror.

"How do they survive?" Pippin asked alarmed. "How shall we survive?"

"The same way they do, by controlling your appetites." Gandalf snapped. "Now one last word of advice before we depart, in this world they have invented many wonderful machines the likes of which I cannot describe. Just…. Please try not to be alarmed upon your arrival." At that he reached out his hand to the glowing blue stone, each of the hobbits quickly following suit, and with a sudden burst of light they disappeared into the night.

**Author's note: Yay! They're finally going!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dumped

(Jessie Brown)

The hobbits slipped through some strange curtain and onto the ground…that could move! Frodo quickly hopped off and found much more stable ground. He watched as a black path slid across the room, dragging his friends and strange bags. He found Merry trying to open one.

"What are you doing?" Frodo asked.

"Trying to figure out how to open this." Merry replied.

"What if that belongs to someone?" Frodo asked.

"Good point," Merry said, and hopped off before he could disappear behind another curtain. "Wow, this floor is really cold."

"I know," Frodo said, looking down at his bare feet. He noticed they were smaller and most of the fur was gone. He felt bald.

"My clothes feel tight." Pippin complained as he came out of the curtain.

"So do mine," Merry agreed. "Is this what it feels like to be human?"

"What's going on?" Rosie asked as she came out of the curtain. Her eyes were wide with curiosity. "What a strange place…the ground beneath me moves." She hopped off and walked to her friends. "Where's Sam?"

"He should be coming." Merry replied.

With that they heard shouting coming from the curtain.

"Ow!"

"Get out of here! You're not supposed to be here! Out, or else I'll call security!"

Sam quickly crawled out. He was panting and his eyes were filled with surprise.

"What happened back there?" Rosie asked.

"Don't ask," Sam replied. "Where's Gandalf?"

"I'm here!" The old Wizard said. But he looked nothing like one. His beard and hair was much shorter. He had on a strange outfit…it looked like a nice suit you would wear on special occasions. "It's much easier to bring an infant into this world than five fully-grown hobbits."

"Gandalf…?" Pippin went to ask, but found a loss of words.

"Yes, I have changed." Gandalf said. "I don't know how any of you can breathe, so here are some new clothes." He tossed the hobbits, or humans, a bundle of clothes. He led them around the large building. The ground was unbearably cold. They found themselves surrounded by people, all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Their hair was occasionally crazy, some didn't even have hair. The place was loud, and almost everyone there was dragging or holding a strange, rectangular bag.

They finally came across two rooms. They each had a similar picture on it.

"Rosie," Gandalf said, addressing the lass. "In this room are other rooms. Go inside one of the rooms and change into these clothes.

Rosie nodded, but her face was uncertain.

"Do not fear," Gandalf said. "It is safe. You may also use the restroom if you need."

Again, Rosie nodded, but confusion showed on her face. She walked into the room.

"Come with me," The Wizard said, turning to the boys. He led them into the other room. The floor was made with a strange cold stone, and there were multiple doorways.

"Go into those stalls and change your cloths." Gandalf instructed.

Each of the boys obeyed him and went into a separate stall. Gandalf stood and waited for them. Frodo was the first to emerge. He looked at himself in the mirror and examined his clothes. He wore a green, short-sleeved shirt and strange blue pants. The others came out with similar pants. Pippin had a blue shirt, Merry in red, and Sam in light gray. They left the strange room and met Rosie. She had on blue pants as well and was looking around nervously. Her shirt looked no different than a blouse, but it was very simple. She kept looking down at her pants, unsure what to make of them.

"Don't worry, Miss Cotton." Gandalf reassured. "You'll get used to it." He led them outside into the world.

They boarded a strange machine Gandalf had called: The tracks. All five hobbits clung for dear life. The seats were all taken, and Frodo wondered how anyone could be so comfortable in such a place. The tracks finally stopped in a small city. Gandalf led the hobbits off and into the strange new place.

~jb~

Tricia was driving in her red sports car and listening to her music as always. She turned it up real loud and was dancing and singing at the top of her lungs. School had been incredibly stressful and it was only the end of the first week.

Senior year…Tricia vowed to make it the best year of her life. She danced in her car until all of her stress was gone. She came to a stoplight and turned on her music even louder. She tossed her head from side to side, flinging her hair around, and enjoying herself. She stopped dead when she noticed a group of pedestrians on the crosswalk; they were walking with much caution while giving her a queer look. Whoops.

She noticed there was an elderly man in a suit. The rest looked like they were all in their teens and they all had curly hair. Tricia guessed they were all related until she noticed the only girl was holding a boy's hand. Tricia grabbed the steering wheel and pretended nothing had happened.

She was however, repulsed by a boy's appearance. His face looked young and incredibly pale, and his hair was dark and messy looking, like James Potter. She really couldn't say…but he seemed strange, and not just in appearance.

Once they had passed out of her sight, she shook her head and began to laugh. She could only imagine Samantha in the car with her. She still would have been dancing; she would've wanted them to give her odd faces. Tricia laughed at the thought, and continued driving home.

Her house was fairly large with nice windows and a u-driveway. The house was white with a dark-gray rooftop. Tricia's adopted parents were rich. They finally made it official her sophomore year, it was Tricia's sixth foster home, and this time, it wasn't a disappointment.

All right…maybe it was.

The truth is her adopted parents had no time for her. They were always working or at meetings or out of town. Or whatever! Tricia was surprised she was still sane. At school, she was confident, happy, and daring. At home, she was quiet, sad, and lonely.

When Tricia was born her parents dumped her at a house. Not knowing what to do, the owners of the house brought her to a foster system. She had a family until she was three, but then they had children of their own and she was dumped at the foster system again. When she was finally in kindergarten, they had found her another family for four years until they were tired of her. When she was nine, she lived in a mansion for three years, but they gave her up. She had lived with abusive foster parents when she was twelve, and spent two years at a house with horses. The foster parents had to pay to help their horse, which was a sad parting for Tricia.

But when she was fifteen, Ruth and John had taken her in as a foster child for a while. When her sophomore year in high school had come to an end they finally decided to adopt her. Tricia had to admit, she was happy about that, but she wished they would spend more time with her.

Tricia worked on her homework and then took a nap. She crashed onto her bed, curled up, and fell asleep.

_Ivy, run! Get out of here!_

_Hush child…_

_Run Ivy, get out of-_

_Be safe, I love you little one._

_We must find her!_

_I want him to suffer!_

Tricia sat up with a jolt. She gasped and placed a hand on her heart. It was the dream again. It had been a while sense she had that dream. There was someone running with a baby in her arms and placing her in a chest, a tall man, dressed in all black, and a strange fire…

The scary thing was…Tricia could've sworn she was seeing it through the baby's eyes. She had no idea why. To calm herself down, she sang a tune she had always known. She didn't know the words, but it was a tune which seemed all too familiar, only to her mind.

This is Tricia, and this is her life.

**Author's note: Hey, I just wanted to apologize to those who have read this story before. I'm sorry it got taken off the site, and I promise to post the chapters as soon as I can!**

**Thanks for reading**! **And don't forget to leave a review! ;D**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

_School is What Now?_

May Waters

"Gandalf, where are we supposed to live?" Sam asked looking around at all the tall building, signs, and what appeared to be homes.

"I suppose we'll have to find somewhere, but how indeed." Gandalf looked around; this world was far more confusing than Middle Earth.

"What's that?" Merry asked suddenly pointing at a sign in the hard of a nearby house.

_Harvest Moon Realtors_

_801-555-4387_

Attached to the sign was a box with information on the house and pictures of the inside. Gandalf took the last one and nodded as he examined it. It seemed perfect for their needs, at least for the months they would be here. The girls would most likely not come easily.

"What's the numbers for?" Pippin began to poke at the sign watching it swing back and forth.

"I think it's how you contact people in this world,"

"You can't just go up to them?" Frodo glanced around and saw someone across the street taking into their shoulder, climbing into one of the moving carriages without horses.

"I think not," Gandalf removed the pipe from his pocket and lit it up. Someone at the house next door came out and glared at Gandalf, which shocked the hobbits. Did they look strange?

"Gandalf, what is smoking looked upon in this world?" Rosie asked picking up on the discontent of the person as they coughed from the smoke snaking its way down the street.

"Judging by what I'm seeing, it affects humans more than our world; judging from the glare, it's frowned upon and possibly dangerous. We'll have to keep our smoking a secret,"

"Three meals a day and no smoking in public, this world is turning out to be worse than I originally thought." Merry slumped and kicked a pebble with the tip of his shoe. It was strange seeing something other than his furry toes.

"Cheer up Merry; we're saving some of our own people. I think we can sacrifice a little," Sam patted his friend on the shoulder.

"We must find a way to contact these Harvest Moon people," Gandalf tapped the paper with the end of his staff. There was a loud ringing issuing out of nowhere. The hobbits jumped and Gandalf examined it carefully, was this how they communicated?

"Harvest Moon Realtors, this is Janet, how may I help you?"

"Ah yes, we were in the-area of a house for sell from your-company, and I was wondering if it was possible, we could purchase it." Gandalf spoke slowly trying to figure out how to address the invisible person.

"What is the address sir?" Janet drawled, there was a small snap from the other side.

"I'm… 7956 is on the house and down the street there is a sign that says Periwinkle Circle 2923 W." Gandalf squinted to try and make out the little green sign.

"Is the house a south or a north?" Janet's voice was muffled a bit and it sounded as though she were chewing food.

"It's facing east," Gandalf said indignantly, wondering if these humans even knew how to get to places.

"That's a south address sir,"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"The street is going south and houses on the right are south and ones of the left are north. Didn't you learn this in school?"

"I seem to have forgotten," Gandalf replied glancing around at the different houses trying to understand how the ones in the circle would work.

"You do understand the house is two-hundred sixty thousand dollars?" Janet snapped what was in her mouth and there was a small clicking sound.

"I have the money for it,"

"Bank account number?"

"I have the money with me on site." Gandalf stated unsure of what a bank account was or what it would be used for.

"I'll send someone out, the house has already been vacated, so once we receive the money and you fill out some paperwork you can move your things in. The person we dispatch will be there in an hour," Janet's voice cut off with one more chomp on her food.

"Why in the world would they dispatch someone and send them to us?" Frodo looked scared. Surely they wouldn't send people dead bodies.

"It is a strange culture indeed Frodo Baggins, strange indeed."

~jb~

They sat outside the cream colored house, with light blue shutters and white doors. A silver knocker with a small glass hole, stone steps with a beautiful iron railing trailing down onto the long stretch of cement; leading to a giant door with cuts at various points, bits caved in, possibly a fancy element. Pippin was rolling down the small hill in the grass over and over, enjoying the fact he wouldn't accidently roll into someone's yard. Pippin recalled when he and Merry had done it at one point; they had ended up in the Proudfoot's yard and then chased down the road by the grandmother waving a broom. Merry was tapping his foot on the stone step, trying to discover how something solid could make a hollow sound when he hit it with his shoe. Sam was sitting in the middle of the flowerbed pulling up weed and attempting to prune the flowers so they would look nicer. Frodo was leaning against the giant fancy door his head bowed in concentration; once or twice he reached up and rubbed his shoulder which had started acting up again. Gandalf kept opening and closing the strange box, playing with the flag on the side. Rosie was enjoying the soft feel of the grass, as she watched Sam concentrate on the tiniest weeds.

A grey car with a silver ornament on the hood stopped just a foot away from where Gandalf was standing waving the flag back and forth. A young man with a leash tied around his neck, fancy clothing perfectly straight climbed out. He was holding a large box in his left hand, his shiny brown shoes clipped along the road and cement as he walked towards them.

"Are you the dead body?" Pippin asked, ceasing his rolling and sitting up, grass in his curly hair.

"Uh, no," The man stopped looking quite confused. "Did you order one?"

"The people said they would dispatch someone and sent them to us, that means they'd send us a dead body. Doesn't it?" Rosie asked.

"It just means they'll take someone from the office and send them out, not kill them. You do know English don't you?"

"If I didn't know it, I wouldn't be speaking it." Frodo mumbled under his breath.

"Yes well, I suppose we should get started on that paperwork." Gandalf stepped forward dragging the attention to himself.

"You also said you have the money on site?"

"Yes, I do. I just wanted to make sure I have the proper currency. I am foreign you see, so if I could just see one of your, well a bit of your money."

"Give it back once you've examined it," The man rolled his eyes and handed him a hundred dollar bill. Calculating in his mind he figured how many of these hundred dollar pieces of paper he might need. Gandalf handed the small bit of paper back to the man, and he unlocked the door so they could enter the house.

~jb~

"Now to get you all registered for school," Gandalf smiled at them.

"Do we really have to go to this school thing?"

"Yes, it is important. The hobbit girls attend the school and it is imperative that you find them."

"How are we supposed to find them?" Rosie asked leaning forward on the table Gandalf had conjured for them.

"There is a way," Gandalf took his seat, the staff leaning against the table. The five hobbits leaned forward farther. "You must stare into their eyes for at least thirty seconds before their identity will be revealed to you."

"So we just walk around school staring into random girls eyes?" Merry asked.

"I wouldn't go that far, at least try to get to know some of them. I have a feeling you might be naturally drawn to the girls, as they originate from Middle Earth. Try to befriend them before introducing the idea of our world though," Gandalf stood and waved his staff around pulling essentials for their home.

"Why don't you all go find room's you can sleep in while we're living here?" Gandalf suggested. They nodded and dispersed from the kitchen.

~jb~

Samantha woke up when her light was turned on and groaned. Rolling over she glanced at the time. She needed to get a shower. Rolling to the other side she unplugged her iPad from charging all night long. Sliding it up and onto her bed, along with the keyboard she avoided the mess on her floor and entered the bathroom just outside her bedroom door.

An hour later Samantha was ready to go to school, her short hair still wet. Swinging her backpack on she grabbed a Pop-tart for breakfast and with a wave walked out the front door. Tossing her keys into the air, she caught them and slid them into the lock on the door of her 1972 Chevy Luv. It was red, KC lights sticking up out of the bed. The old engine rumbling to life, Samantha pulled out of the driveway and made her way down the road to her High School. She turned into the school parking lot, having to wait as an elderly gentleman with five teenagers crossed on the sidewalk. The blond one wearing yellow caught her eye. Samantha liked the way his jaw set and how his chin had the small genetic indent in the middle.

Samantha walked into the school just before the group and slid past the jumble of students who seemed to like to stand right in front of the entrance. Glancing at the tables in the commons where everyone ate their lunch, hoping to see her friends. Instead of spotting someone she knew- Samantha ended up in the locker banks where he locker was situated. Swinging the door open pictures of Fred Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Voldemort greeted her. Down lower near her feet were anime characters from Fairy Tail, her favorite anime, and inside was Niall Horan from One Direction, along with more Harry Potter pictures. James Maslow and Logan Henderson were there in sexy poses as well, Big Time Rush was definitely an amazing band.

"Samantha, hi!" Tricia was suddenly beside her, and she jumped.

"Tricia!" Samantha greeted giving her a hug.

"Oh I love Fred," Tricia commented pushing the door open even more. A white board at the very top held a list of celebrity and fictional crushes.

"I know right! Rowlling should've killed Ron and put Hermione with Fred instead. She almost did and it would've been so much better! Fred and Hermione are like James and Lily and it's adorable." Samantha commented pushing her lunch box onto the top shelf past her ASL and Preschool notebook.

"I'm still not sure about that pairing," Tricia replied.

"You don't have to be, I just love them together." Samantha shut her locker, her back pack left inside. Laughing they headed out of the locker banks and towards the dance studio and girls' dressing rooms. Today was a B day which meant they would be in Ballroom and today was their first unit; it was certainly going to be a fun day.

~jb~

Sauron's plan was working perfectly. He had managed to infiltrate the High School where he discovered three hobbit-like girls to be. He had killed the previous principal, making room for him to apply for the position instead. Of course he'd gotten it as well, all part of the plan. No one could resist Sauron or his power; it was truly something no man could withstand. Yet, this morning he was practically forced into letting the white wizard Gandalf join his staff. It was inevitable; Gandalf had the apparent qualifications after all. Sauron was only to be known as Mr. Kochevar to the wizard, and he must be absolutely careful to never come in contact. He would have to take special precautions, but this was one secret Sauron could never reveal. Especially with the hobbit Frodo Baggins so close. If possible, perhaps he could kill Frodo as well, in revenge for making him flee to this pathetic world. Time would tell, time would tell.

**Note: Fun fact- May loves Merry, Ruby loves Pippin, and Jessie loves Frodo. We obsess over them so much. We love Sam too of course, but those three are the ones we won't fight each other for. :) We love every Hobbit almost equally. Leave a review because you are obviously awesome! Plus if you leave a review, it makes you twice as awesome.**

**Again, I apologize if there has been any confusion. There's just so many chapters to publish! But I hoped you enjoyed. **


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

_Awkward Staring _

Ruby Pool

Morgan had gotten to the school early that Monday, having promised to help Ms. Christie (her name was actually Ms. Christiansen but all the kids had always simply called her Ms. Christie) the preschool teacher with setting up the display case out in the hall. She had given her a bunch of props including a few stuffed baby jaguars, fancy cut out letters that spelled out Junior Jags, etc. Morgan was just hanging up the last letter while standing on top of her backpack because she was too short to reach otherwise, when the bell suddenly rang.

Startled she jumped ever so slightly, lost her balance, and found herself falling backwards through the open door of the display case. "Eeeeeep!" She screamed, until someone caught her right before she would've hit the ground.

"Whoa! Nice catch Pippin." A voice laughed from behind her and Morgan gasped as she turned to glance at the laughing boy with curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and a funny dimple like thing on his chin that she was sure her friends would've told her was extremely attractive, when a full realization of what had just happened hit her like a ton of bricks.

Blushing horribly she returned her gaze to her rescuer, a boy with light brown curly hair, kind of baby faced, with the greenest eyes she had ever seen in her life. Besides Tricia that is. He smiled down at her with a mischievous and curious smile which only made her blush all the more. She was doing her best to not freak out, seeing as she'd always been extremely shy especially around boys and being held in ones arms was not a normal occurrence. His staring didn't help, in fact it was as if the moment their gaze had met it had locked, and she was sure he hadn't looked away for at least thirty seconds.

"No kidding, Merry. Are you alright dear?" A feminine voice asked from beside her, immediately releasing Morgan from this strange boys spell, and causing her to realize she was in the middle of a big group. The girl also had curly hair, but long and blonde, going down to at least the middle of her back with soft blue eyes and a kind smile. The boy standing right next to her was a little stockier, and also had messy curly blonde hair though shorter like the first boy, with green eyes almost as bright as the one they'd called Pippin. Beside him stood a paler looking boy, with dark brown hair which one might have easily mistaken for black (much like her own) and startling blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm fine. Thank you so much for catching me. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't." Morgan stammered forcing her gaze back to Pippin's, praying inwardly the he wouldn't do that staring thing again, and even more importantly that he'd put her down.

"Oh Pip here is always glad to help out a damsel in distress." The one called Merry chuckled, while giving him a playful slap on the back. It was easy to tell that these two were best friends.

"Yes, but now that our dear damsel has been saved, she might appreciate it if you put her down." The other blonde boy commented, rolling his eyes at the other two. At this Pippin also started to blush, apparently not having realized he was still holding her.

"Oh I'm sorry." He said, and completely unexpectedly a jolt went through her entire body at the sound of his voice. It was a fairly gentle voice with a playful Scottish lilt to it, which seemed to tug at a distant memory in her mind. "My bad."

"Oh no, it's fine. Thank you, really." She said as he set her gently back on the ground. "You're welcome." He said. Their eyes met once again, and the memory finally surfaced, if only for an instant.

It was a dream she'd had often as a child, almost every night for years, and then every once in a while since becoming a teenager; a dream of a beautiful place, with green rolling hills, and a calm river cutting across. But the vision was gone almost as soon as it had come, and she was stuck back in reality.

"So what's your name?" The girl asked kindly, her smile nearly as bright as the sun.

"Morgan Kennedy." She replied. "And you are?"

"Rosie Cotton, and these are my friends, Samwise Gamgee, Frodo Baggins, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took." She introduced gesturing to each in turn as she did.  
"But you can call me Sam." He cut in.

"And we're Merry and Pippin." Merry corrected gesturing to his friend. Yep, Morgan was convinced they had to be best friends.

"Rosie, Sam, Frodo, Merry and Pippin…" Morgan mused. "Nice to meet all of you. I don't believe I've seen any of you around here before, are you new?"

"Yes actually, we just got here the other day." Frodo admitted. "And we're kind of lost. Would you mind helping us find our first class?"

"Of course." She agreed. "What class?"

"Ballroom dance." They all answered at the same time.

"Perfect, that's my first class too. Follow me." Then, after turning to grab her stuff from inside the display case and making sure to lock it up tight (luckily she hadn't needed the key to do so) she took off through the halls, with each of them trailing after her. Whispering in soft voice Morgan couldn't quite hear.

"Well that was easy." Pippin breathed excitedly. "One down, two more to go."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because you think she's cute, Pip?" Merry teased.

"Of course not!" He protested, glaring at him softly. "I stared into her eyes for at least thirty seconds just like Gandalf told us. I know she's one."

"Yeah and nearly scared her to death at the same time." Rosie pointed out, shaking her head at the boys. "Next time can you guys try not to make it to obvious your staring…Or at least make it less awkward."

"How can you make staring into someone's eyes for at least thirty seconds, not awkward?" Sam asked.

"Try talking to them first. Be friendly. Like Gandalf also said."

"Well I'm still double checking on Morgan, just in case Pip here is too twitter-pated." Merry joked.

"I'm not twitter-pated! I don't even know the girl!"

"Exactly why I'm going to double check."

"Here you go." Morgan stated gesturing in the direction of a room with wood paneled floors and mirrors on one side. "I need to go change real quick, but sense this is your first day you can go right in. The teacher should get here soon, and I'll help introduce you so don't worry about a thing. Be right back." She disappeared into another room across the crowded hall, and Pippin watched her go. Unsure of what he felt, but positive there was something special about Morgan Kennedy.

"Hey Morgan, what took you so long?" Samantha asked, as the young girl ran straight for her locker rushing to change into her clothes so she wouldn't be late for class despite her slight delay.

"Sorry, I was helping Ms. Christie set up the display case for preschool, and I kind of fell." She admitted sheepishly.

"Are you alright?" Tricia asked immediately concerned

"Yeah, this new kid caught me."

"New kid?" Samantha asked her curiosity immediately peeked. "Well that sounds interesting."

"Yeah, a couple of them actually. He and his friends are in our ballroom class."

"Really? Come on Tricia let's go meet these newcomers. Hopefully at least one of them is cute."

"Okay, just give me a second. I'll be out."

~jb~

The hobbits were standing in the dance studio staring at both the mirrors and all the teenage humans filling into the room around them.

"There are sure a whole lot of girls who take this class." Sam commented. "How are we supposed to find _our_ three?"

"Well we are supposed to dance with them right?" Rosie pointed out. "Just try and find them then." Frodo was extremely nervous just thinking about their insurmountable task, plus the fact that he could almost feel Sauron's presence in this world which only made his arm injury act up all the more, he suddenly found himself feeling thirsty.

"Um…. I think I'm going to go try and find some… water in this place." He said, turning and exiting the room as quickly as he dared, not entirely sure what he was looking for.

Tricia had miraculously beat Samantha outside the locker room, though she wasn't nearly as concerned with meeting the new kids as her dear friend. She was actually too busy thinking about what song she wanted to use to try out for _Once Upon Mattress_, the musical her Spotlights class (Musical Theatre) was putting on that year. She desperately wanted the part of Winifred, and she was pretty sure she could get it too, all she needed now was a song.

"Excuse me?" Frodo called out to a pretty girl he saw walking past him. "Could you tell me where I might find some water? Hello?" But the girl completely ignored him, and simply continued walking toward the studio. Not one to give up easily he hurried after her, when he heard voices yelling from back in the locker room behind the two of them, their voices together being just enough to catch her attention.

"Tricia! Wait for us!"

"Oh, sorry Samantha!" Tricia called back turning around and ran right into someone. They both tumbled to the floor, and the boy she ran over cried out, a strange look of pain coming over his face.

"I'm so sorry!" Tricia gasped, feeling her face flush with embarrassment as she scrambled to help him to his feet. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," The boy winced. "It's… just my shoulder."

"Your shoulder?" Tricia asked, confused. She didn't remember hitting his shoulder. How hard did she hit him?

"It's nothing," He assured her, shaking it off. "Just an old injury."

"I'm sorry." Tricia said again. The boy held her gaze for a moment. His face changed somehow…. It suddenly became hopeful. Tricia looked away for a moment, unable to take the awkward stare. His eyes were very blue, in fact they were beautiful. She shook it off, forcing herself to stop blushing.

"Tricia!" She suddenly heard Morgan cry out, as she and Samantha both rushed out of the dressing room together. "Are you okay?" Then turning to assess the situation she smiled at her friend. "I see you've met Frodo."

"Frodo?" Tricia asked. "What kind of name is that? I mean, what does it mean?" She asked wincing at how rude that must have sounded.

"I'm not sure." He admitted.

"Are you from the U.K.?"

"The…? Yes I am!"

"What part?" Samantha asked eagerly; she loved everything British.

"The Shire-I mean… um…"

"The Shire? I've never heard of that." Samantha said.

"It's not a well-known place." He sighed, seeming very awkward for reasons none of the girls could understand.

"Are all of your friends from the Shire?" Morgan asked curious seeing as they all had fairly similar accents, and appearances.

"Yes, actually and I'm afraid it's very different from this place. Which reminds me, could one of you tell me where I could get some water?" He asked.

"There's a drinking fountain right down this hall. Here I'll show you." Tricia offered, wanting to make up for running into him in the first place. "See you girls in class!"

Shrugging Morgan and Samantha agreed continuing on straight into the classroom, and walking up to the group of awkward kids hiding away in the corner. "Hi everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend…"

"Jessa." Samantha cut in before Morgan could finish, earning her a strange look but she didn't pay it any attention.

"Hello Jessa, I'm Rosie."

"Sam."

"Pippin."

"And I'm Merry."

"Mary is a girl's name." Samantha blurted the second he finished speaking, earning herself a glare from the surprised boy.

"It is not!" He protested hotly. "It's short for Meriadoc. Meriadoc Brandybuck, thank you very much."

"That's even weirder." Samantha blurted once again, and Merry actually began to turn the slightest bit pink with embarrassment and anger.

"What my dear friend S… Jessa, is trying to say is, well we think Merry suits you just fine." Morgan faltered desperately, while sending her friend a glare that clearly told her to shut up; but Samantha wasn't paying any attention. Her gaze was locked with Merry's, and he seemed to be staring her down just as Pippin had done to Morgan earlier. As if he was trying to search her very soul. Whatever he found seemed to make his glare soften the tiniest bit, though mostly in disbelief.

"You." He whispered. "Oh Gandalf's got to be kidding me."

"Who's Gandalf?" The two girls asked at once, just as both Sam and Pippin gave him a sharp nudge.

"And what is he saying about me?" Samantha asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Sam insisted. "He's simply our host father for our time in this country. I don't know what Merry's talking about though."

"Hey Morgan, Samantha who are you talking to?" Josh Byrd, a tall boy with fair skin, short straight blonde hair, and baby blue eyes, asked as he came to stand beside the two girls, before either of them could think of a response.

"Samantha?" Merry protested, his glare firmly back in place. "I thought you said your name was Jessa."

"It's my middle name." She tried, but none of them bought it. "Okay, so I was only trying to see how long it would be before you'd figure it out. Apparently not very long."

"Anyway, this is Josh, and these are some new kids to our school." Morgan began, and she had just enough time to introduce them all before Frodo, Tricia, and Ms. Daniels came into the room and class began.

"So today we are officially starting our first unit: the Tango." Ms. Daniels announced, and the whole class let out an excited cheer, except for the hobbits of course, who were extremely confused.

"Um… what dances exactly do you teach in this class?" Merry asked. "I don't believe I've ever heard of the Tango before."

"Well we study a lot of different dances, but our main focus is on the Tango, Western Swing, Cha-cha, and of course the Waltz." She replied patiently, Tricia having already explained to her about the 'transfer' students as they had come into the classroom.

"Oh I know all about the Waltz." Pippin cried excitedly, as he turned and eagerly swept Morgan into his arms and began waltzing her around the room…sort of.

"Pippin!" Merry groaned, rolling his eyes in embarrassment for his best friend. "You're doing the girl part!"

"What?" Pippin demanded, his eyes widening with horror as he looked back and forth between him and Morgan, who was shyly nodding her head. "How do you know the guy part then?"

"I learned it my second year in this class, because there weren't enough guys. Samantha and I were partners actually." She explained shrugging it off nonchalantly. "You're very good at the girl part though. I hardly had to lead you at all."

"Thanks, I guess." He muttered, blushing terribly.

"Ms. Daniels, can Morgan and I please show these guys what a real Waltz looks like." Josh piped up, while glaring furiously in Pippin's direction, for reasons Morgan couldn't understand.

"Sure, Josh. I think that's a good idea." She agreed oblivious to her star pupil's emotional trauma.

"You heard her Pipsqueak, move it." Josh growled softly as he walked over, and tried to gently pry Morgan from the other boy's arms.

"My name is Pippin." He protested.

"Whatever, now Pip Pip 'N cheerio." He replied, before firmly taking Morgan into his own arms and dancing her around like a pro.

"Josh!" She protested, but they soon fell silent as she stared into his deep baby blue eyes and felt him pull her slightly closer to him in an almost protective stance. It wasn't a side Josh usually showed, but somehow Morgan found she liked it. She'd had a major crush on Josh ever since her sophomore year of high school, but ever since then he'd only ever seemed to see her as a friend. They did practically everything together from ballroom dance to orchestra, and he was the one guy she truly felt comfortable with.

After what felt like an eternity the pair finally came to a stop, not once breaking eye contact the whole time they danced, and the entire class burst into applause; even an embarrassed Pippin managed a grudging clap or two.

"Well done, you two. Now let's have the girl's line up on this side of the room and the boys on the other and you can choose your Tango partners." Ms. Daniels said, back to business now that this matter had been settled. "Remember no one is allowed to have the same partner twice, and we'll switch off who does the asking each and every unit. Today is boy's choice. Go ahead."

**Teehee! I love this chapter! Remember to leave a review. I like to know what your favorite part of the story is so far. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Attitude Problems

Tricia made her way upstairs to her next class. She had U.S. government that next class. It was a great place for her to catch up on sleep. She didn't hear Frodo and Rosie yelling to catch up to her. Clearly they were still lost.

"Tricia, wait up!"

"Tricia!"

"No, this is how you yell: TRICIA!"

Tricia jumped when she heard Rosie yell at the top of her lungs. She turned around and saw the two friends walk up to her. Students around them looked over curiously, while other rolled their eyes, and some looked like they just suffered a heart attack.

"Hi," Tricia said, though she felt embarrassed.

"We can't find our next class." Rosie said.

"Just follow the numbers." Tricia answered.

"Why do you use numbers for everything?" Frodo asked.

"I don't know," Tricia shrugged. "What class do you have?"

Rosie held up her schedule. "It says…Us Government."

"You mean, U.S. Government, right?" Tricia corrected. Rosie nodded, cheeks turning red.

"What teacher?"

"Mr. Duffy," Rosie replied.

"I can't hear you, honey."

"Mr. Duffy," Rosie repeated, a little louder.

"That's my class," Tricia said. "Follow me."

~jb~

Once they were in class, Mr. Duffy had Frodo sit next to Tricia, and Rosie in front of her. During class, Tricia occupied herself with a pencil. She went from taking out her notebook and writing the story she was working on, to balancing it on her head. After the third attempt, she got bored and started shaking it up and down.

"All right now," Mr. Duffy said in his loud voice. "Take out your books and turn to page R27 and answer these questions." He handed out a green worksheet. Tricia opened her book and took the green paper from Mr. Duffy.

"Now, after class," He said, addressing Frodo and Rosie. "Remember to go to the library and check out your books."

Frodo and Rosie nodded, and then looked at each other in confusion.

"Don't worry," Tricia said waving them off as Mr. Duffy walked away. "I'll show you where the library is."

Frodo and Rosie looked at each other, shrugged, and went to their books. They struggled to find the right page, and then struggled to find the right answers. Frodo looked over to see Tricia had already finished the first page, but she had stopped to entertain herself by bobbing her pencil up and down.

"Tricia," Frodo whispered. "You're done already?"

"Nope," Tricia sighed. "But if you wiggle a pencil like this it turns into rubber."

Rosie turned around and smiled. She grabbed her pencil and started to copy Tricia.

"Wow!" Rosie gasped. "It's like magic."

"Yep,"

Frodo rolled his eyes and went back to his work. After a while, Tricia and Rosie stopped and went back to their work as well. Frodo started tapping the eraser of his pencil in frustration. What on earth was impeachment?

"Tricia," He finally whispered again. "Why is your government so…complicated?"

"I don't know," Tricia said, looking at the ceiling. "I wasn't at the meeting."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm counting the rectangles on the ceiling."

"Do you not like this class?"

"Nope,"

Frodo sighed. "Then why did you take it?"

"It's required."

"By who?"

"By the district…or something like that."

Frodo tried his best to understand... but this world just seemed so strange.

"Aw!" Tricia exclaimed.

"What's wrong?"

"I lost count," Tricia replied. "Now I have to start over!" Frodo tried to look up and see what was so interesting about rectangles on the ceiling, but he was suddenly blinded by a bright light.

Frodo didn't like this class either.

~jb~

"So…you guys have never checked out a book before?" Tricia asked as they made their way out of the library.

"No," Rosie said.

"I'm so sorry," Tricia said.

"Don't be," Frodo said. "We've got plenty back home."

"I would hope so." Tricia said.

"You like to read?" Frodo asked.

"Yep,"

"Me too."

The two stayed silent for a long time as they made their way to the large locker banks which were saved especially for seniors.

"Did you guys bring lunch?" Tricia asked.

"Uh, no," Rosie said uneasily. "No one told us we had to bring lunch."

"Really?" Tricia asked, her eyes widening. "You can have some of mine then, I always bring too much and I can't eat it all anyways. I have a really small appetite. Wait here; I'll go get it from my locker. Tricia walked away into the locker banks.

"Small appetite?" Rosie whispered to Frodo. "Are you sure it's her?"

"I'm sure." Frodo replied.

_Baggins_

"It didn't seem like thirty seconds when you ran into her." Rosie replied.

"_She_ ran into me," Frodo argued. "And I don't think that was by coincidence."

_Baggins_

"She did that on purpose?" Rosie guessed.

"No," Frodo said. "I think it's fate." He looked over at Tricia by her locker. It was decorated with all sorts of colorful pictures. But Rosie could see the look in his face, while staring at Tricia.

_Baggins_

"Frodo," Rosie said. "You like her."

"Of course…she's a nice girl and she's offering us food. She's a good friend." Frodo reasoned.

_Baggins_

"No, I mean _like _her!" Rosie said.

"No, not like that!" Frodo gasped. He was about to turn to Rosie to argue his point, when he suddenly felt a strange presence. His shoulder began to ache, and he suddenly saw a vision of the great eye that had been haunting his dreams for many weeks. He felt light-headed and knelt on the ground.

_Baggins!_

"Frodo?" Rosie asked, quite startled. "What's wrong."

Frodo would've responded, but he blacked out.

"All right, all right," Frodo suddenly heard a voice that sounded familiar. "Back up, give him some room." Frodo opened his eyes and looked up to see a strange person leaning over him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine," Frodo said slowly. "Do I know you?"

"I can't say we've met." The stranger replied. "I'm Mr. Kochevar, and I'm the principal here. It was a good thing you were kneeling when you fainted. Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes," Frodo said, standing up and finding his strength again. He and Mr. Kochevar held a stare for a long moment. Both of their faces were unreadable.

"Let's go," Rosie said. "Let's find a seat." Frodo followed Rosie, but his eyes did not leave Mr. Kochevar's.

"Is he alright?" Tricia asked, walking up to the principal.

"He's fine," Mr. Kochevar replied. "Did you just meet him today?"

"Yes,"

"What's his name?"

"Frodo,"

Mr. Kochevar stiffened. "I see...and what's your name?"

"Tricia Tims, sir."

"Well, Miss Tims," Mr. Kochevar said smoothly. "You best be careful, you don't want to make friends of the wrong sort."

"Er…thanks…" Tricia said uneasily. She quickly walked toward the commons to find her friends.

**In the words of Harry Potter; I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thank you. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave a review! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_James… James who?_

May Waters

"There you are Tricia!" Samantha looked up at her friend with a smile.

"Hey!" Tricia set her lunch box down, Frodo and Rosie glanced at each other before sitting next to her at the table.

"Morgan with you?"

"No, she went to her locker." Tricia grinned and then began to sign. Wiggling her fingers in the air she began to fingerspel then she pointed to her temple, hovered her hands above each other by her waist, and moved the top one out to the side.

"He did?" Samantha asked. Tricia made an S and bounced it up and down. "That's terrible, do you know why?"

Shaking her head and crooking the top part of her hand she moved it to her temple and out. Samantha responded by placing two finger spelled K's on top of each other, and moving them to her chest; then pointing at each eye in turn, she capped an invisible baseball cap and pointed at Frodo. Tricia nodded, making the same sign from earlier.

"What was that?" Rosie asked.

"They were speaking in American Sign Language again." Morgan explained, walking up to the table.

"Sign language?" Frodo looked confused.

"It's a language for those who are either really hard of hearing or deaf, which means they can't hear at all. This way they can still communicate their needs. It's pretty cool to watch, but I could never learn it." Morgan told them further as Tricia rubbed her nose at something she had been signing and Samantha burst into laughter.

"Tricia's hard of hearing, so we communicate through sign at times." Samantha stated opening the lid to her sandwich box. "I'm in ASL three, she's in ASL one."

"There you are," Merry, Pippin and Sam had finally shown up and where sliding into the seats next to them. Merry ended up next to Samantha, neither looked pleased with the arrangements.

Tricia became distracted as a certain handsome jock walked past. The two girls who knew Tricia well enough were giggling like mad at their friend's reaction. After a moment their friend seemed to come back to her senses and blushed, quite embarrassed.

"Sorry," Tricia apologized.

"Oh James!" Samantha mocked teasingly, causing the hobbits to stare at her as though she were mad. "We will get married in two years time, have riches beyond all our dreams and we'll have lots of furs; even children, which can have furs."

"Samantha!" Tricia ducked her head into her lunch box for a moment.

"You've been in love with him for, what, two years now? Darling, you're not getting any younger and he is not losing his charm, or hotness. You should ask him to Sadie's or something." Samantha pushed with a wave of her hand. Some of the Hobbits looked uncomfortable about what the conversation had turned into.

"I think I'll stick to studying him from afar," Tricia replied.

"Besides, Tricia liking James is just like you liking Dominic Monaghan." Morgan pointed out.

"Have you seen Dominic Monaghan? He is freaking gorgeous. Even with a spider on his face which is saying something."

"I have to admit, he does look pretty good." Tricia said.

"Pretty good? He was amazing in _Lost_, especially with his random singing because he was in a band." Samantha sighed dramatically, pretending to swoon and get lost in a whole other world. "Dom cracks me up."

"Moving onto other topics," Morgan gave a pointed look at the hobbits who were having a silent conversation of their own.

"What man tickles your fancy Morgan?" Samantha asked.

"Samantha!" Morgan swatted at her friend, turning her head away and putting her hand up, now refusing to look over.

"Come on, I was teasing." Samantha rolled her eyes and looked towards the hobbits. "What class do you lot have next?"

"Literary Magazine?" Pippin glanced down at his schedule looking confused.

"That's a fun class; we all have it together next." Samantha gave them all a warm smile, which Merry took as more threatening considering her actions earlier in the morning.

~jb~

When they walked into Literary Magazine, Ms. DeFriez had them introduce the new students to the class. Samantha took charge a bit and couldn't resist the temptation to poke a little fun at Merry.

"His name is Mary,"

"As in the girl's name Mary?" Tyler Brown asked.

"Yep," Samantha grinned.

"It is not a girl's name." Merry defended once again.

"Her name is Mary," Samantha pointed to a brunette girl in the back. Then she grabbed a marker off the board and wrote MARY on the board in all caps. "That's how you spell it right?"

"No, it's spelled like this," Merry took the marker from her. He wrote the M then realized he didn't know how to write a couple of the letters in this human language. Glancing down the board for the letters he needed he managed to write out MERRY.

"Oh, as in _Merry Christmas_, well you should've just said so." Samantha gave him a soft smile, which caused him to drop the marker.

~jb~

"What's your class after this one?" Samantha asked sitting on Merry's desk and snapping the gum she had popped in her mouth just a little while ago.

"Calligraphy," Merry replied.

"Me too," Frodo responded.

"That's my class, I'll take you there Merry Christmas, and Frodo of course."

"What is calligraphy?" Frodo asked as the bell rang. Samantha slid from the desk and put on her back pack, carrying _Starcrossed_ by Josephine Angelini in her arms.

"Fancy writing class,"

"You have to learn how to write fancy?" Merry was used to seeing the writing of Elves and Hobbits on a regular basis, and it was extremely pretty.

"Well yeah, it's not really that important. Just make sure your handwriting is legible, unless you want to get credit and write crap about something. Then just make it as messy as possible so no one can really make out what you said." Samantha slung an arm around each of the boys' shoulders. "I'm sure you'll like the class."

~jb~

After school, Frodo, Merry, and Samantha were passing by the attendance office when Gandalf emerged.

"Gandalf!" They greeted enthusiastically, Samantha was unsure of what to do. Stay and hang around or continue outside to where she could go home and play video games.

"Hello Frodo, Merry." Gandalf looked up and saw Samantha standing there. "Ah, and who might you be?"

"Samantha Foote sir," She replied clutching the book to her chest.

"I am Mr. White, the new Vice Principal; it's good to meet you."

"Good to meet you as well Mr. White, I really must be going. My dad is waiting for me," Samantha turned and began to walk away, but turned around once more to give a parting wave. "See you Merry Christmas!"

"She is a nice girl," Gandalf chuckled. "Merry Christmas, eh, my dear Brandybuck?"

"After discovering how my name was spelled she seemed to have adopted it as my real name." Merry grumbled folding his arms and staring at the ground.

"Have you found your hobbits yet?" Gandalf whispered in an undertone as Pippin, Rosie, and Sam slipped up behind.

"Yes, all three." Frodo told him.

"In one day?"

"Samantha was one of them," Rosie explained, having seen the exchange.

"Ah, and the other two?"

"Samantha's best friends, Tricia and Morgan," Sam finished off.

"Well, I think you ought to get home and work on your homework. You do have to turn it in after all."

"Brilliant," Pippin mumbled shifting his books.

"Go on, here are the keys to the house. I'll be along in a couple hours," The five hobbits made their way out of the school and back towards their temporary home.

~jb~

Key to American Sign Language:

Tricia's first signs: Frodo fainted.

Bobbing s: Yes

Shaking head, crooking the top part of hand moving it to temple and out: Don't know.

Two finger spelled K's on top of each other, moving them to chest: Keep

Pointing at each eye in turn: an eye

Cap an invisible baseball cap and point: [on] him.

**Note: May and I actually learned ASL so those signs are real, not made up. We know things. Plus we have conversations in sign sometimes. Also, May made the joke a while back about calling Merry, Merry Christmas and it stuck so we threw it in there. Leave a review for our dear hobbits! ~May, Rue, and Jess**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_First Car Ride _

Ruby Pool

Morgan was daydreaming as she walked out the school doors, her insanely heavy backpack, hoisted over her shoulders when she totally ran head first into the kid in front of her, and the two of them came crashing to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" She gasped, as she looked up into the eyes of a startled Samwise Gamgee. "That was completely my fault. I don't know what I was thinking!"

"It's perfectly fine. You didn't hurt me, just startled me a little." He said smiling shyly at her, as he scrambled to help both of them to their feet. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no harm done, except to my pride. Thanks." She replied blushing with embarrassment.

"For what?" Pippin asked curiously, as he and the rest of the group turned to look at the two. "What are you thanking him for?"

"For checking if I was alright even after I totally barreled into him and knocked him to the ground." She stumbled, turning even brighter red.

"Sam!" Rosie breathed as she went immediately to his side, taking his hand into hers as if to check after him, make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Seriously, I'm fine. Don't even worry about it, Morgan." Sam insisted, starting to blush a little himself at all the attention.

"Yeah, Sam's tough. He's faced far worse things over the past year." Frodo joined in, smiling at his best friend with a mix of amusement and pride.

"Really? Like what?" Morgan asked gazing curiously back and forth between the boys.

"Nothing, Mr. Frodo just likes to talk." Sam insisted shooting Frodo a soft glare. They couldn't tell her about all of their adventures over the last year, she wouldn't believe them. Not yet anyway. Besides even if they could, he was far to humble to want to brag about any of his accomplishments. After all in his mind, Frodo had always been the true and rightful hero. Emphasis on 'in his mind'. "So are you walking home as well?"

"Yes, actually. My house is a couple blocks from here, so it only takes me a couple of minutes to get there. How about you?"

"Same. We live on 7956 Periwinkle Circle." Pippin replied not wanting to be completely left out of the conversation.

"Really? That's not actually not too far from where I live, you guys want to walk together?"

"Of course." Rosie agreed, and grinning the entire group headed out the front doors.

"So I know how Rosie's and Pippin's last period went [they'd all had physics together], but how about the rest of you?"

"Good. I don't know why your friend Samantha insists on getting my name wrong though." Merry spoke up, looking pretty miffed about the whole situation.

"Oh that's just her way of flirting. Don't worry, she does it with pretty much every cute boy she meets. You'll get used to it." Morgan assured him while trying to hold back a smirk.

"Wait a minute, she's teasing him because she thinks he's cute? That doesn't make any sense. " Pippin protested clearly confused by the statement. "I'm the cute one!"

"You wish Pip!" Merry snorted good naturedly. "Everyone knows that I'm the attractive one, and you're the weird one."

"No way!"

"You two are impossible." Sam huffed rolling his eyes, as the two boys began to argue about who was the most attractive. "What does it matter anyway?"

"It matters a great deal to me!" Pippin insisted. "Morgan, Rosie, you're both girls. Which one of us do you guys think is more handsome?"

"Sorry, but I've never really looked at either of you boys like that. Besides which, I'm kind of already taken so…. Yeah." Rosie said, squeezing Sam's hand which was still grasped tightly in her own.

"Fine then, I guess it's up to Morgan. What do you think?" Merry asked, and suddenly she found all eyes focused on her, right as they were nearing the crosswalk. Her eyes widened, and her whole face burned with embarrassment as she stared dumbfounded at the two boys.

"Um… I….."

"Hey Morgan!" Josh called from over by his car at the edge of the parking lot not far from where they were walking, and she thanked her lucky stars for the interruption. "Do you want a ride?"

"Yeah! That'd be great. Can these guys get a ride too?" She asked in relief, as she gestured at the group. Josh frowned as he saw them, his eyes narrowing as they landed on Pippin in particular.

"Sure, Cheerios and his friends can get a ride. They'll just have to squish in the backseat if that's alright." He agreed reluctantly.

"Yes, thank you." Frodo and Rosie were saying, at the same moment Sam and Merry were saying "No thank you." And Pippin simply exclaimed "Cheerios?!"

"Come on Sam, it's a nice offer, and we need to learn more about this world." Rosie whispered over to him, while both Morgan and Josh stared at them queerly for their reaction.

"It could also be extremely dangerous! Have you seen how fast those things go?" Sam whisper shouted his eyes wide at the thought.

"Besides he already doesn't like Pippin. He might just crash and try to kill us all." Merry continued. "I mean didn't he just call him Cheerios? And I highly doubt this one is flirting." That earned him a small slug on the back from Pippin.

"No he wouldn't." Frodo insisted patiently. "He likes Morgan, besides I rather doubt he'd mess up his nice carriage over something as small as a disagreement with Pippin."

"Fine, but if anything goes wrong don't say I didn't warn you." Sam reluctantly agreed while Merry slowly nodded his head. Pip didn't know what to do he was still reeling from being so openly insulted.

"So are you coming or not?" Josh asked impatiently. After all it wasn't his idea to give these strangers a ride in the first place, and if it wasn't for Morgan he never would have offered.

"Yes, of course. Thank you so very much." Rosie spoke for all five of them, flashing Josh one of her irresistibly sunny smiles. This caught him completely off guard and he found himself grinning in return.

"Okay, you guys hop into the back. Morgan you can have shot gun." They all scrambled into the carriage that moved without horses. Josh had been right. The back seat was crowded, and the hobbits were all practically sitting on top of each other to even try and fit. They gazed at one another in slight alarm, especially when the car started moving and they couldn't figure out what the straps surrounding them were for.

"So how was your day?" Josh asked Morgan completely ignoring his other guests as he began the drive to her house, after already having received the hobbits address from Frodo.

"Okay." She said shrugging nonchalantly. "It was school. How do you think it went?"

"Good point." He laughed, catching her eye and winking just as they were turning out of the school parking lot. Sam nearly screamed as all the hobbits lurched forward, barely missing the seats in front of them, although Rosie whimpered, and Pippin let out a short shrill squeal. But Josh ignored this too. "So are you excited for Chamber tomorrow? We get to find out our positions. Ten bucks says your first chair first violinist."

"Yeah right!" Morgan scoffed rolling her eyes at the comment. "Mrs. Bea only puts the best violinist as Concert Master, for good reason, which means it'll probably be Cassidy Trenton again."

"But she also likes to give all of her seniors a shining moment, so you never know." He argued.

"Josh…." Sam began hesitantly feeling bad for butting into their conversation, but feeling nervous at the way he kept glancing at Morgan when his eyes should have been focused on the road.

"I highly doubt it. Mrs. Bea wouldn't sacrifice our schools chance for getting into State just so she can give me a 'senior' moment." She pointed out.

"Josh…" Sam a little louder this time, beginning to move his arms as if to direct him in his driving. Frodo would have laughed, if he hadn't been so scared for his life.

"She wouldn't be sacrificing them. If anything we'd sound better."

"I don't know if you've ever heard me play or not, but I kind of stink. I have no idea how I even made it into Chamber."

"I do. Because I have heard you play." He turned to look her straight in the eye. "You're amazing." She didn't know what to do or say, his eyes were simply full of sincerity, of admiration, of…. What? She'd never had a boy look quite at her like this before. Not even Tommy.

"JOSH!" Sam screamed this time waving his hands to get the boys attention.

"WHAT?" Josh snapped, finally turning back to look at the annoying boy in exasperation.

"Look out!" Both Morgan and Sam yelped this time and Josh jerked his head forward, his eyes widening as he realized the car in front of him had come to an abrupt stop. He quickly veered to the right, nearly crashing into the crib rather than colliding with the car in front. All five of the hobbits let out a shriek as they tumbled to the floor of the car.

"What on earth is wrong with you?" Josh yelled at them, trying to calm down himself. "Are you guys alright?" Morgan asked simultaneously, before turning to glare slightly at Josh for his rudeness.

"What's wrong with us? What's wrong with you? You nearly crashed us!" Sam demanded just as angrily after his fright.

"He has a point." Morgan commented shyly, earning her a surprised look from Josh.

"I did not!" He defended. "I had everything under control. I knew the car was turning, and I saw the ridiculous stop sign. I've driven in your neighborhood before Morgan I know what I'm doing. Until some kid had to yell and scare me half to death!"

"You should've been watching where you were going." Both Morgan and Sam blurted at the same time, causing the rest of the car to glance at them curiously for a moment. "You can't blame Sam for this little mess."

"Well it's not my fault if they have a death wish, now is it? They didn't even buckle their seat belts."

"So that's what these things are." Merry whispered to Pippin, and they turned to look at the strange straps again as well as the way Morgan had made hers wrap around her and stick into something, thus strapping her into her seat. "Doesn't look very comfortable."

"Well neither is this." Was Pippin's only reply.

"How do you expect them to buckle up? They don't have enough room, all squished in the back!"

"I told them it'd be crowded."

"I know, but you still can't blame us. We've never been in a carriage before." Pippin defended his friends.

"A carriage?" Josh asked.

"At least not one that moved without horses." He clarified, just as Merry flicked him in the arm seeing the extremely confused looks on both Morgan and Josh's face.

"Do you mean car?" She asked, trying to clarify for the strange group of teenagers in the back who seemed to become stranger as the day wore on.

"Um… yes." Frodo agreed, before Pippin could say another word and make things worse. "They don't have any back in the Shire. It's a really small town in the country side, where people mostly walk everywhere they need to go."

"Or ride in small carts or carriages drawn by a small pony." Rosie chipped in. "But nothing like this. It's very… different."

"I didn't know there were still places in the U.K. that didn't have cars." Morgan commented. "That's interesting. Guess you'd better take things a little more carefully Josh. In fact, why don't we all just be quiet for the rest of the drive so you can focus?"

"Fine." He muttered extremely unhappily, before putting the car into drive and continuing slower than before. When they arrived at Morgan's house, she quickly hopped out of the car, but not before turning to look Josh right in the eye.

"Be careful with them. Don't do anything stupid." She warned.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. I'm Iron Man remember. I'll take great care of them." He replied laughing and giving her a quick wink, before he pulled out of her driveway and began to drive away.

"That's what I'm worried about." She sighed to herself as she watched them drive away, and then turned to go into her house and do her homework.

When she went to bed that night the dream returned. The same one she had remembered earlier that day, only this time it was clearer than she could ever remember it being before. She saw the vivid green rolling hills, dotted with lovely trees, bushes and flowers of every color and type. She could hear the water rushing, almost singing a merry song as it flowed along its way down the valley. The curious thing was this time she also thought she glimpsed little houses built straight into the hills, with little round doors and windows poking out, and a chimney at the top. It was the most beautiful and lovely place she'd ever observed in her life, and what's more it seemed to be calling out to her. Promising love, comfort and…. Something else she couldn't name.

She woke up the next morning whispering, "The Shire."

The really strange thing, however, was Sam had the exact same dream.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I'm the Greatest Star

_Hush my child have no fear _

_There is peace and comfort here_

_"__Ivy! Run! Get out of here! Save the baby!"_

_"__What is it?"_

_"__An intruder, he's got a sword!"_

_Too late_

_"__Ivy! Run!"_

_"__Hush child, be safe."_

_Tricia…_

_What?_

_Tricia…be safe_

_Sure_

Confusing dreams…you've got to love them. Tricia awoke at 4:30 in the morning. Two and a half hours… Two and a half hours left of blissful sleep. But sleeping again was starting to get harder. She felt concerned about the dreams she was having. What could possibly have caused them?

Tricia went into the choir room early that morning to look at music. She had an idea of what song she wanted to sing, she just needed to find it. She walked in to find the Madrigals singing in a 'family portrait' formation. She walked right past Mr. Kelly and into the closet where he kept his musical theatre books. She looked through and grabbed out two books. She already knew what songs she wanted to sing for her audition and the Spotlight Reviews. The auditions for the school musical _Fiddler on the Roof_, she picked out _In His Eyes_ from _Jekyll and Hyde_. For the Reviews, she picked out a song called _Time Heals Everything_, from _Mack and Mabel_. When Tricia found _I'm the Greatest Star, _from _Funny Girl, _she placed it on the copy machine and printed until she had her own copies of music. She placed the books back on the shelf in alphabetical order, because Tricia had OCD problems. She walked out to find the Madrigals all finished with their singing.

"Mr. Kelly," Tricia said, approaching the choir teacher. "Could you play some songs for me?"

"Of course," Mr. Kelly said, taking the first copy. "What's this for?"

"This is for Fiddler,"

"All right," Kelly said and started playing. Tricia sang out.

"Don't be afraid to belt that last note." Mr. Kelly said once she finished singing. "Do you have a song for Mattress?"

"Yes," Tricia handed him the song. Once he began to play, Tricia was ready to sing.

"Very good," Mr. Kelly said, handing back her music. "Anything else?" Tricia glanced at the clock. More students would be arriving, and soon she would have to go to ASL (American Sign Language).

"Yes, real quick." Tricia said, turning and giving him _Time Heals Everything_. He began to play. Somehow, when Tricia had been looking for music last week, she was drawn to this particular song. She sang it with all the emotion she could find.

_ "__Time heals everything, TIME HEALS EVERYTHING!_

_ "__But loving…you!"_

Mr. Kelly was silent for a moment, taking in the emotion Tricia felt she had to get out. She didn't know why.

"Very good," He said, giving her a nod. "Thanks for coming."

"Thank you," Tricia returned. She took her music, placed it all in her spotlights binder and headed out the door. On her way out she ran into Frodo Baggins.

"You have a great voice." He said.

"Thanks." Tricia replied.

"That was an interesting song you sang." Frodo continued. "About _time_…"

"Yeah, I really like that song." Tricia said. "It's comforting."

The bell rang.

"Well," Tricia said. "See you at lunch?"

"Yes," Frodo said. "And this time I brought food."

Tricia laughed. "Great, see you then!" She walked to her locker. Frodo watched her walk away. He had a good feeling in his stomach. It felt like butterflies…but the good kind. He went about his day with nothing else in his mind except green eyes.

~jb~

Tricia had trouble concentrating during ASL. They were reviewing for a test, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't focus. It was only first period, and the day already seemed strange… Her dreams were coming back, she sang a song that filled her with some kind of hope, and all she could see was blue eyes. She shook it off and tried to concentrate on her ASL class.

Tricia ran into Frodo and Rosie for their next class. They walked into Mrs. G's room for creative writing. Rosie and Frodo were seated in front of Tricia. During writing time, Rosie would lean over to Frodo and ask him about how to spell. Eventually, she finally leaned over and whispered to him.

"Is this what you've been doing the past few weeks?" Rosie asked.

"Yes," Frodo nodded.

"How can you stand it?"

"You get used to it after a while. The silence, the writing, the wrist aching…but I have to write it down Rosie, or else I'll forget. I want future generations to read it." Frodo replied.

"Is this a story?" Tricia asked.

Frodo and Rosie turned and looked in surprise. They looked at each other and gave knowing looks.

"Yes," Frodo said. "It is a story."

"What's it about?" Tricia asked curiously.

Frodo hesitated and took a deep breath. "It's…well… I don't think you're ready yet."

"_I'm_ not ready?" Tricia would've laughed if she hadn't felt slightly offended. "Do you mean _it's _not ready?"

"No," Frodo said. "It's you," He gave her a smile that threw her off guard and turned in his seat. Tricia sat at her desk, feeling quite…flustered…

~jb~

Things were no better at lunch. The five hobbits sat with Tricia, Samantha and Morgan. Samantha was typing on her iPad. She paused to take a video of herself.

"It's weird." Samantha said. "Have to look at the black dot or else it doesn't look like you're looking at the screen…" She played back a video of her eyes moving back and forth across the screen.

"That is weird." Tricia said.

"What if I just randomly took a picture of myself?" Samantha suddenly asked.

"I'd Frodo-bomb you!" Tricia said excitedly.

"Frodo-bomb?" Samantha, Morgan, Sam, and Merry all asked at once.

"Oh," Tricia said, face burning pink. "I meant photo-bomb!"

"Well," Merry said. "We all know who's on your mind!" Frodo's face turned red and Tricia blushed even harder.

"Stupid jerk!" She said to Merry.

~jb~

After lunch, they all had Concert Choir with Mr. Kelly. He had a large stack of canes lined up by the white board. Mr. Kelly had Frodo and Rosie test out their voices. Frodo was placed with the bases and Rosie with the altos. Everything went fairly smoothly. The girls went into the practice room little by little to try on dress sizes. Rosie and Tricia found they were the same size.

"I like this dress," Rosie mused. "It's so light and…fancy."

"I like it too," Tricia admitted. "It gets pretty hot onstage."

"What will the boys wear?" Rosie said.

"Nice suits or tuxedos." Tricia replied.

"You mean what like Mr. G- I mean Mr. White wears?"

"The new vice Principal? Yes, something like that."

Rosie already had a hard time seeing Frodo in a t-shirt and jeans, could she see him in a strange, black suit?

"I couldn't see Frodo dressing like that…even if he dresses very nicely." Rosie admitted.

"Do you like him?"

"Oh no!" Rosie laughed. "No, I'm with Sam."

The girls talked as they came back out to join the choir. They received a new song, written after the poem: The Jabberwocky.

Mr. Kelly explained the song. He made sure the choir used diction. After a few tries, the choir lost it's 'diction' and Mr. Kelly of course, was not happy. He started to play the piano and make up a song as always.

_I've tried to teach them!_

_But they don't listen…_

_Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy can't they get it right?!_

The choir laughed before he continued teaching the Jabberwocky. He stood and told about his plans for the song. He wanted different instruments, a tiny piano, and a Jabberwocky head. The bell rang for the next class after tear-jerking laughter.

At the start of Spotlights, a musical theatre class, the students sat around, talking amongst themselves. Frodo, Rosie, and Tricia waited as Morgan, Samantha, Merry, Pippin, and Sam walked in. Morgan, Tricia, and Samantha stood and talked by the canes.

"What's with the canes?" Samantha asked.

"I think Mr. Kelly is using them for Take Ten." Tricia replied.

"What's Take Ten?" Rosie asked, coming to stand beside the girls.

"It's a choir class for boys." Tricia explained. "I'm glad you made Spotlights. You'll have a great time in this class!"

"Thanks!" Rosie said. "I'm surprised we're even in! I couldn't have done it without Mr. White!"

"To tell you the truth, you did us a big favor." Tricia said. "The class has never been this small before. We usually have twenty-five people. You guys helped us fill in the empty spots."

"It was my pleasure." Rosie said.

"Mr. Kelly's not here!" Samantha said. She, Morgan, and Tricia each grabbed a cane. They looked at each other excitedly; thinking they all had the same idea. Samantha and Morgan hunched their backs and walked around, acting like old people.

And then there's Tricia.

Tricia started to dance and sing with the cane. She kicked her legs up, spun around, did heel clicks, jumped, you name it. Samantha and Morgan stopped and looked at her in surprise. Then they laughed and shook their heads, and Tricia didn't seem to care.

"Of course," Samantha said.

"That's our Tricia!" Morgan agreed.

Tricia galloped over to her friends. "Sorry, force of hobbit…I mean…habit." She furrowed her brow and looked around in confusion. "I can't talk today for some reason."

"You said…" Rosie began but immediately stopped herself. She knew Tricia was still not ready. "That was amazing!"

"Thanks," Tricia replied, handing Samantha her cane. She placed her hands behind her back and smiled. She had caught Frodo's attention during her little performance. He walked past, not taking his eyes off her. Something about her was just…amazing.

He tripped on the chair in front of him and landed uncomfortably on the ground.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called out. "Are you all right?" He ran over and helped his friend up. "Yes," Frodo replied. "Just got the wind knocked out of me."

He stood and brushed himself off. Mr. Kelly walked in at that moment.

"All right, Carson, have you taken attendance? Great!" He said loudly. "Sit down," He introduced the new students and expressed his gratitude. He explained when The _Fiddler on the Roof_ auditions and _Once upon a Mattress_ auditions would be. He explained the story of _Fiddler on the Roof_, so the students could pick out a character they wanted. After that, he had Lexie, the Spotlights choreographer, start conducting the Spotlights to do a dance.

~jb~

When Tricia got home after school, she felt like crying. She found a letter, saying her adopted parents would be out of town for awhile. They wouldn't be home until after the Spotlight audition concert. They would not be able to come see her perform. That also meant less votes for Tricia. For some reason, Mr. Kelly had the audience vote for certain students to have certain roles. This didn't seem fair to Tricia, but she went with anyways.

She sat and thought about school. It was the one place where she could go and get attention, love…people had time for her. People cared about her, they wanted her. She knew at school, she could dance around, be herself, and be confident. At home, she had no one to talk to. Whenever she wanted to sing or dance she would get yelled at for 'disturbing the silence'. She couldn't just go and talk to her adopted mother; it had to be on _her own_ terms. Her father would just brush her off and send her to her room.

Tricia dug her face into her pillows and tried to think about James. Crap…he didn't want her either…

**This was a fun Chapter to write! Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_The Day with Children_

May Waters

Samantha's day started just like every other, but today she was more tired than the day before. She drove to school yawning all the way, and trying to make sure she didn't crash into the car in front of her. Barely finding a parking spot Samantha grabbed her backpack and slammed the door to her truck. Locking it haphazardly with her key, nearly tearing it off in the lock. Mumbling under her breath, she walked into the school particularly tired.

Suffering through an hour and a half of American Sign Language Three, no talking and fighting the sleep, it was time for preschool. The kids were arriving today. The kids never usually came this early in the year, but the teacher had offered a summer program for those who would be in charge of preschool. They had worked the last few weeks of summer, planning and preparing for the arrival of children. Except for the two new students, Merry and Pippin. Instead, Morgan and Samantha were put in charge of them and they were like the children, who had a right to be childish. Samantha was not happy at first, but soon discovered they could be distracted in the same way the little boys and girls- as Merry was not paying attention to the confused child- could. With gold fish crackers, coloring pages and book the three were content. They weren't learning anything at the moment, but as long as they were happy.

Samantha was glad when recess came and the children could run around outside. She grabbed Merry's wrist, keeping him from going off and playing as well. Dragging him over to Morgan and Pippin who seemed to be discussing something. Pippin didn't look too happy, and if Merry was correct, Morgan was scolding him.

"Does Pippin have a lesson plan?" Samantha asked, bringing Merry to a halt next to her, a look of indignation plain on his face, but she easily ignored it.

"No, he'd rather do what the kids are doing and it's annoying because I spent so much time planning what I was going to do with these kids." Morgan huffed.

"Yeah well, Merry Christmas over here is doing the same thing, so I have a plan." Samantha turned back to the boys who were glaring at both of them. "You boys come over to my house after school and we'll set up a lesson plan for you to do with the kids. Morgan will come too,"

"I am?" Morgan's eyes widened comically.

"Yes,"

"Okay, I'll let my mom know,"

"More horseless- I mean cars?" Merry did not looked pleased at the prospect.

"It's how this town works, so get used to it." Samantha put her hands on her hips. Grinning, she straightened and skipped over to where the boy, Mike, and the girl, Scarlet, were playing on the slide.

"You sure she's safe?" Merry asked Morgan.

"Perfectly safe," Morgan grabbed Pippin's arm and skipped away with him as well. Grumbling, Merry stuffed his hands in his pockets and went to where Samantha was letting the kids climb on her back for a piggy back ride.

~jb~

When they met Tricia at lunch, she took her hands and hooked them up off her shoulders, dropping them to her waist. Samantha made to reply, but the Hobbits got to it first.

"What does that mean?" Frodo asked, looking a bit angry at being left out on a conversation held in seemingly meaningless signs.

"Oh sorry, it means 'what up'." Tricia looked sheepish at forgetting there was only one person who could understand her.

"What up?" Sam was most definitely confused.

"The ceiling?" Rosie suggested.

"Air?" Merry guessed.

"Sky," Frodo said knowingly with a head bob.

"The sun," Sam tried.

"Merry!" Pippin grinned.

"Yes, Pip." Merry's face turned serious. "The answer is obviously me,"

"'What up' means, 'how are you doing?' or 'what is going on?'" Samantha looked at the hobbits as though they were from another planet. Surely people in the UK knew some slang, even if it wasn't terribly common.

"Right," Frodo looked subdued at this.

"Lunch then," Samantha turned on her heel and made her way towards the commons, where an empty table was waiting for them.

~jb~

"I really don't want to get in another one of those," Pippin whimpered.

"I don't think she'll be as mean as that Josh kid," Merry tried to comfort, the two girls chatting and laughing a few feet ahead.

"You've seen how she treats you though, imagine her in Hobbiton, no one would dare approach her." Pippin replied.

"I think they might approach her, then run tail when she speaks." Merry grinned at his friend who laughed.

"Imagine who she marries though, man do I feel sorry for him."

"He'd have to be pretty brave to marry her,"

"Indeed he would Merry Christmas."

"Don't you start calling me that,"

"You let her do it, usually if you don't like something you make it obvious and don't let anyone do it."

"Well, I haven't exactly-"

"Merry, you don't like her do you?"

"No, she's rude, impulsive, and I'm not sure what she's thinking at any point."

"That's normal for the female population, my dear friend, best to keep away from them."

"I suppose so-"

"You two coming?" Samantha hollered from the side of her truck, Morgan already situated in the front.

"We're really managing to stay away from them," Merry muttered.

~jb~

"I am bored," Samantha stated flopping backwards onto the carpet of the entertainment room. Merry and Pippin looked up as Morgan joined her; both of them waving their arms and legs wildly. "How's your carpet angel coming?"

"I still don't understand why their legs and arms look like they're wearing baggy robes." Morgan said.

"Hey, we should get Tricia over here and we can watch a movie!" Samantha gasped at the idea.

"Yes!"

"What about the other three of them?" Samantha asked, cocking her head to the side and looking at Merry and Pippin.

"We can always get their address and Tricia can grab them on her way over." Morgan shrugged looking through the movie collection for the two movies they usually watched together.

"Yeah, I'll call Tricia now." Samantha pulled out a slim extendable piece of metal, into which she pressed her thumbs, placing it next to her ear. Merry and Pippin exchanged a worried look. "Tricia! You should come over and watch a movie with us, also, think you could grab Frodo, Sam and Rosie?"

There was a muffled sound from the other end.

"I know they live somewhere past Morgan's. Hey, Merry, what's your address?"

"7956 South Periwinkle Circle," Pippin recited off instead of Merry who glared at his friend.

"She was asking me," Merry hissed as Samantha repeated the address.

"Didn't know it would bother you so much, besides, she didn't even call you your nickname." Pippin replied crossing his arms, and lifting his head slightly.

"So Cheerios," Morgan started sitting across from them.

"Don't call me that! It's bad enough that jerk does it at school," Pippin suddenly yelled. Morgan's eyes widened and she leaned away from him, before ducking her head and turning away.

"Yo, what did you say to her?" Samantha asked closing the object.

"I-" Pippin suddenly looked scared, leaning away as Samantha bore down on them with flames in her eyes.

"You'd better not be mistreating her; you could've been kind about it." Samantha jabbed his chest with her finger before backing away and sitting next to Morgan.

"What is that thing you were using earlier?" Merry asked to divert the attention.

"It's called a phone; I suppose you don't have those in the Shire either, do you?" Samantha asked tossing the slender purple thing to him.

"No we don't," Merry slid his finger into the slit and watched as it swung open. "You can talk to people on these?"

"Yeah, some are cooler than flip phones, but I prefer the flip." Samantha replied, leaning over to grab the remote and turn on the TV.

"What happened to letters?" Pippin practically squeaked his question, as if trying not to poke a beast with a red hot iron.

"We still have letters, part of the mail system, they're just not as common." Samantha shrugged. "Hey Morgan, let's watch some Avatar while we wait for Tricia."

"Yes! I'm so a water bender." Morgan lifted her fist, her mood instantly picking up. They were watching an episode in season three when Tricia came bounding into the room, having been let in by Samantha's dad.

"Air bender to the rescue!" Tricia shouted gleefully letting out a long breath. Samantha and Morgan leapt to their feet.

"The fire nation wants you dead Avatar!" Samantha returned with a throwing of her fist, Tricia dodged the invisible fire.

"I will help you fight Tricia!" Morgan proclaimed waving her hands in a gentle but firm motion. Samantha stumbled back as though she had been hit by a water whip. The five hobbits were sitting in the middle of the room looking scared, and trying not to get in the way of the three girls. Samantha took a running jump before flipping up over the group and landing in front of Tricia. She swung out her leg and Tricia jumped, using Samantha's shoulders as a lift off point to land next to Morgan.

"Face it Samantha, you're out numbered." Tricia told her.

"I can still win this!" Samantha replied, punching both fists and doing a spinning kick with her feet. All three girls collapsed in fits of laughter, as the episode ended and the TV flashed for them to choose something else. "That's always fun,"

"Definitely," Morgan was grinning happily and waving her feet in the air.

"Movie time?"

"Yes!" Tricia jumped up, seeing the prints on the carpet where Morgan and Samantha had been laying earlier. "You guys made carpet angels?"

"Yep," Samantha replied picking up the two DVD cases. Tricia threw herself on the floor next to the two prints creating her own. "Which movie do you guys want this time? _The Knights Templar_ or _Together Forever_?"

"_The Knights Templar_!" Morgan and Tricia chorused together.

"What is _The Knights Templar_?" Frodo asked, earning an eager expression from Tricia.

"It's a movie set in medieval times, there's these four guys who are part of the kingdom." Tricia explained. "Something happens and this precious treasure with magical properties is stolen. The treasure is needed to return the kingdom to order and to help save the country, so these four men are sent out to retrieve it. It's so good! The actors are in the movie _Together Forever_ as well, which is really funny. My favorite in this movie is Elijah Wood, he plays the knight. Samantha's is Dominic Monaghan who is the Prince, Morgan prefers Billy Boyd the Stable Boy. Then there's Sean Astin who's the cook, we all like him equally though."

"You have not lived until you've seen Dominic Monaghan as the ex-rock star, heroin addict on _Lost_ though." Samantha replied placing a slim disk on a dish which slid into a metal box.

"You just love Dominic Monaghan," Morgan teased.

"He is an adorable German, thank you very much." Samantha placed out her palm, doing the turtle head bob. A giggle escaped her lips; she turned to play the movie.

"I bet you five will like this movie," Morgan gave the hobbits a warm smile, as the movie began. Each girl made little squealing noises in turn when their preferred character made an appearance.

"Don't you just love the way Alaric leads them all forward, how he can be so mischievous with Bran and then he gets this serious face when confronting Alastair?" Samantha asked.

"I just love Alastair's big blue eyes." Tricia sighed happily.

"Bran is so cute, and smart, and funny, and I love Bran!" Morgan squealed. "Tobin is great too of course, with how he takes care of Alastair."

"Everyone loves Tobin," Samantha agreed.

"Still love Alastair more!" Tricia clasped her hands.

"Bran is definitely my first choice,"

"As is Alaric mine. Still, Tobin is a close second." Samantha leaned back, tipping her head and winking at Merry who was watching her movements subconsciously.

"Agreed," Tricia and Morgan echoed, sighing in contentment at the big screen TV.

**New Chapter is out! I hope you enjoyed. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Deals_

Ruby Pool

By the time the movie was finally over Morgan was thoroughly exhausted. Putting together lesson plans, making carpet angels, larping Avatar, and fangirling over their favorite actors and characters was definitely hard work. Once the movie had ended Tricia offered her and all of the new kids a ride home.

"Hey why don't one of you come sit in the front seat beside Morgan? That should make a little more room in the back." Tricia suggested, and Morgan reluctantly agreed praying that Rosie would be the one to volunteer. She wasn't sure how comfortable she'd be sitting so close to one of the boys.

"I think that's a grand idea, and I volunteer Pippin as being the perfect man for the job." Merry announced giving Pippin a hearty slap on the back.

"Wait what? Why me?" Pippin asked curious as to why he of all of them had been singled out this way.

"You know very well why." Merry replied giving him a meaningful glare, which made the boy blush and almost flinch.

"Oh, right. Of course. I'd love to sit next to Morgan."

"Great, climb in." Tricia ordered cheerily, not even noticing her best friend's utter terror at the situation.

"Yes, just great." She muttered under her breath as she climbed into the car and Pippin sat right beside her. Of course it was extremely squished, especially since he insisted on buckling the seatbelt (not wanting to take any chances) around the two of them. She could feel her whole body start to stiffen, until she forced herself to try and relax. She had no reason to be afraid of Pippin. After all he had 'saved' her only a few days ago hadn't he? Besides he'd been nothing but perfectly nice to her up until now; well almost perfectly.

"Um… Morgan." He whispered directly into her ear, startling from her thoughts and making her jump nearly an inch into the air despite the seat belt. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yes, perfectly. You just surprised me a little, that's all." She whispered as she turned to meet his gaze, blushing profusely at her reaction. "You were saying?"

Now it was Pippin's turn to blush. "Oh, I just wanted to… well… apologize. For shouting at you earlier. It was rude and completely out of line, and I'm terribly sorry. I never meant to make you upset."

"Oh don't worry about it Pippin. You're fine. I overacted is all; I've never been too good with yelling, but that's not your fault." Even as she was talking, Morgan remembered the moment vividly: when the frustration and anger came over Pippin's face and he shouted 'ferociously' at her, and in that moment it was as if he had somehow morphed into Nico. In her mind she could hear every nasty word he had ever called her during one of his own shouting fits imprinting themselves directly on her heart. It seemed to happen every time someone shouted at her, especially a boy. "Besides I shouldn't have called you Cheerios in the first place."

"That's okay, you can call me Cheerios, if you really want to." He offered repentantly though she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was anything but comfortable with the idea, which made her laugh quietly.

"How about I make you a deal?" She offered slightly. "I won't call you Cheerios, if you don't call me Morgue."

"What's wrong with Morgue?"

"It's a place where you put dead bodies before burial."

"I see why you'd find that insulting. It's a deal." He smiled at her as the two shook hands the best they could in their awkward position, and as their eyes locked she could have sworn she'd seen those eyes before, a long time ago; perhaps in a dream.

The second Morgan got home she went to check in with her parents and then made a beeline for her bed. Quickly changing into her pajamas she flung herself onto her bed, and lay staring silently up at the ceiling willing her whirling mind to calm down so she could fall asleep, but it seemed futile. Her thoughts were still filled with Nico's words, and despite the sweetness of Pippin's apology she almost wished he hadn't made it because then perhaps she could have forgotten about the whole thing. Yet she doubted it. Nico would be a plague on her mind to the day she died.

Determined not to give in so easily to the depression threatening to overwhelm her, she reached for the object that always managed to give her comfort no matter what she was facing: a key that hung on a chain around her neck. It was small with a long barrel, intricate carvings, and completely made of silver, though the chain on which it was just was pure gold.

She couldn't remember when or where she had first received the gift, not long after her birth she supposed since she couldn't ever remember being without it. Her parents never seemed comfortable when she asked them about it either, claiming they simply couldn't remember, as if hidden in the key were some great dreaded secret.

For now Morgan just thought of the thing as her good luck charm, and wore it everywhere she went (except for the pool obviously) hidden underneath her shirt. Then whenever she felt the need she would pull it out and gently trace the delicate carvings, thus calming her down and giving her more strength and courage than she had ever previously imagined herself having. Morgan was in the act of doing just this when she finally fell asleep.

Her dream this night was surprisingly not of the same beautiful place (which she now referred to as The Shire, though she doubted that it really was) she had been dreaming of since the newcomers had first arrived, but this dream was even more vivid and somehow… compelling. In it she saw a man, who appeared to be fairly old though his eyes were filled with an adventurous fire, sitting in a rocking chair by a warm fire in perhaps the quaintest living room she had ever seen. He was humming a tune that was deep and pure and strong, and sent absolute shivers down her back. Then he began to sing and the words rang out all the more clearly, and though they didn't make any sense to her they told the most beautiful heartbreaking tale: about losing one's treasure and home and going on a journey to get it back.

When he finally ended he sighed and looked contentedly at a bundle she hadn't previously noticed held gently in his arms. It was a baby girl, with wisps of dark curly hair and big brown eyes that seemed much too alert for her age. She met the man's gaze steadily, before lowering it to something hanging around his neck.

"You want this old thing?" He asked her laughing a kind gentle laugh. "Alright then darling, it'll be your birthday present, just don't tell your brother." And with one hand he carefully took off the necklace and put it on the tiny girl, smiling kindly down at her. Morgan watched and felt her heart nearly come to a stop as she realized the necklace was hers.

~jb~

"Pippin, um…. I hate to complain, but could you please stop stepping on my toes?" Tricia asked in a valiant effort to not show forth her utter frustration at the whole situation.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tricia." He apologized sounded very sheepish and discouraged with his own apparent lack of skill at the Tango. Merry just laughed as he continued to lead Morgan around without too much trouble, excellent for never having done so before.

"Come on Pip, it's not that hard. In fact, this is ten times easier than the dances we do back home." He encouraged, as they did a double turn.

"Different yes, easier no." Pippin argued as he let go of Tricia and threw up his hands in defeat. "Forget it! I'm never going to figure this out!"

"Why don't we try switching partners?" Morgan suggested as she eased herself out of Merry's arms and turned to face her frustrated friends; for that was what she had come to think of the newcomers as. Her friends. The teacher had put them into groups in order to workshop the moves they had learned thus far in class (though Morgan had a strong suspicion this was more due to Pippin's struggles than anyone else), and she and Merry and Tricia and Pippin had been put into one group, while Frodo and Samantha worked with Landon and Tina, and Sam and Rosie worked with Josh and Jessie.

"Alright," Merry agreed amiably as he took a step toward Tricia and the two immediately began dancing once again, proving Tricia had the moves down pat. It was her partner who was having the trouble. Not that they hadn't already known that.

"Don't waste your time, I'm hopeless." Pippin mumbled even as she approached him.

"Nobody's hopeless, at least not when it comes to dance. If that were true I would've given up a long time ago."

"Well I bet you couldn't have been this bad when you first started."

"Worse actually. I was tripping all over the guy, and I had no sense of rhythm, which is really strange as I've been playing the violin since seventh grade and you'd think that'd teach me something."

"You're not just trying to make me feel better are you? You really mean it?"

"I really mean it. Now come on." Reluctantly he took a step forward and with some more encouragement they began to tango. "Don't look at your feet, keep your eyes locked on mine"

"But Ms. Daniels said not to do that, because it's awkward!"

"Well don't stare me down! It's just a gentle gaze to help you relax and we're friends right? Besides there's always the drag where we have to look away anyway, so it's not that awkward."

"Yeah, I guess." He agreed reluctantly and raised his beautiful green eyes to meet her brown ones. She smiled and started chatting while they danced. About anything and everything from talking him through the steps to regaling him with her own clumsy stories; and slowly he began to relax and before either of them realized that they were gliding along perfectly.

"Wow Morgan, you really can work magic!" Josh called out from across the room, grinning slyly at her. "Who knew Cheerios could dance."

"I did." She replied grinning smugly back at him. "Pippin's a great dancer, thank you very much. Maybe better than you."

"No one's better than me." Josh protested, marching right over there and shoving Pippin out of the way he immediately took over, making Morgan giggle and shriek in 'protest'. Dancing with Josh was an entirely different experience from Pippin. Josh was confident, protective, leading her with surety in every step. No wonder her heart seemed to be racing in her chest; because the intense look in his eyes couldn't possibly have anything to do with it right?

~jb~

"Sam? Sam? SAM!"

"What?" He asked startled from his relaxing dreams of his home and garden back in the shire. He missed gardening terribly, and though he'd been tending to their temporary home's yard the best he could, it wasn't the same. Gandalf insisted they didn't have enough money for all the flowers he wanted.

"Quit falling asleep, or you never know what Mr. Duffy will do." Morgan warned.

"But I don't understand a thing he's talking about, your government is so boring and complicated. Besides it's not like I'll ever have to use any of this. I'll be going back to the Shire soon enough anyway."

"But it's still good to know. Besides you're in the class you might as well try to stay awake."

"I suppose." He said, rolling his eyes before meeting hers. For some reason he couldn't name, he found himself staring into those deep brown eyes as if he were searching for something though he didn't know what. After thirty seconds he got the reassuring feeling that this girl was definitely a hobbit, but he'd already known that. Both Merry and Pippin had confirmed it, and Sam hadn't doubted either of them since they had gotten back from their adventure; at least in most things. But it was more than that…. He was looking for something specific. He was looking for his sister.

"You have really green eyes." She commented after a long surprisingly natural moment. "I never thought I'd meet someone with eyes like Tricia's, but yours are really close." It was practically an answer to his prayers as Sam whirled around to gaze at the girl in question, sitting on the other side of the room by both Frodo and Rosie.

True her hair was a bit darker than his, but her complexion and facial features were fairly similar, and then there were her eyes: the exact same shade of green as his own, with only the tiniest touch of hazel. "It's her. I've found her." He whispered to himself, nearly overcome with emotion. "My sister."

~jb~

The group all gathered together at what was quickly becoming their official table for lunch. "So have you guys decided what songs you want to audition for the musical with?" Tricia asked the group as the newcomers (Merry and Pippin in particular) began tearing into their lunches with a fervor that should've been reserved only for the truly starving.

"What musical?" Frodo asked her curiously.

"The one the schools putting on, they do it every year." Samantha explained. "This year it's Fiddler on the Roof, and all the kids in Spotlights are required to audition, as part of the learning process in musical theatre or whatever."

"What do we have to do to audition?" Rosie asked sounding quite nervous at the prospect.

"Oh just pick a portion of a song to sing." Morgan chimed in smiling reassuringly at the girl. "It's surprisingly not that big a deal; in fact I've already got my piece all figured out."

"Really? What?" Tricia asked eagerly.

"The first movement of Winter." She replied, proudly taking a bit out of her celery, until she noticed the looks of confusion on her friends' faces. "You know? From the Four Seasons by Vivaldi."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about but… you can't exactly sing that Morgan." Samantha commented slow and drawn out.

"I know, I'm not going to sing it silly. I'm going to play it on my violin. I'm trying out for the Fiddler." She explained casually.

"You're what?!" Both Tricia and Samantha exclaimed as they practically leaped to their feet and gazed down at her in utter disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"What? It's a good part."

"The fiddler doesn't have any lines, or any songs. All he does is… well play his fiddle." Samantha protested.

"Which is why it's the perfect part for me."

"Morgan come on, it's your senior year! Why don't you try out for one of the leads? Like Hodel. She's got a fun part." Tricia suggested.

"Because I can't sing." Morgan retorted rolling her eyes at the thought. "At least not very well," she continued before either girl could throw up another protest.

"Pippin could help you. He's great at singing." Merry offered making Pippin jump at being drawn into the conversation so abruptly.

"Of course I'd help! I love to sing." He agreed grinning excitedly at the idea.

"I don't know. I'd hate to waste your time. I mean my range is pathetic and when it comes to projecting while in front of others I'm pretty hopeless." She hedged reluctantly.

"No one is hopeless when it comes to singing." He told her, and she blushed to realize he was using her own words against her. "How about this, I'll make you a deal. I'll tutor you on your singing, if you tutor me in ballroom." He held his breath as he waited for her to respond, feeling surprisingly anxious; because for one reason or another, he wanted her to agree: badly.

"Alrighty then, when do we start?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Becoming Friends

Jessie Brown

"Please Tricia, _please_?" Morgan and Samantha begged as they all sat down for lunch. They wanted another day to hang out and do homework, and they wanted it at Tricia's house. Her basement had a flat screen and soft sofas to sit on and relax, and Tricia made great Top Ramen. Tricia however, didn't like company over. She didn't want Samantha and Morgan to know that she secretly hated her life at home. She didn't want them to worry.

"I don't know guys…" Tricia hesitated, choosing her word carefully, making sure not to hurt their feelings. "I might be busy…and my parents are out of town, so…"

"We've been over without your parents there before." Samantha insisted. "Come on! We can watch Together Forever. You love that one! Come on, _please_? Elijah Wood is in it! I know how much you love him!"

Tricia blushed. "Fine," She said, defeated, also spreading out her fingers and putting her thumb to her chest (the sign for 'fine'). The hobbits came and sat with the three girls. Rosie moved quickly and took a seat next to Tricia while Sam sat on the other side of her. Frodo looked over at them with a look of dismay on his face, but he shrugged it off and sat beside Morgan.

"So, Trish, how are you today?" Rosie asked.

"I'm good. Did you just call me Trish?" Tricia replied.

"So Trish, has your day been agreeable?" Sam asked.

Tricia turned to him. "Why yes it has," She said. "Thank you,"

"Is it all right if I call you Trish?" Rosie asked.

Tricia turned back to Rosie. "Of course," She said. "All my friends call me Trish."

"Most of the time," Samantha reminded her.

"True,"

"So can I call you Trish?" Sam asked.

"By all means,"

"Can I call you Trish?" Frodo asked.

"Yes-"

"Can I call you Trish?" Merry and Pippin asked in a union, but before Tricia could respond, all five started a conversation with her. Tricia turned and looked at each of them in confusion. What on earth was going on? Why were they all talking to her? Why was Sam looking at her funny? Why was Frodo looking at her funny? Why was Merry poking Pippin?

"Hey!" Tricia said loudly. Other students were caught off guard and looked over at her. She shrugged it off and turned to Rosie.

"What were you saying?"

"I was wondering what you were doing after school." Rosie said.

"We're watching a movie at my house." Tricia replied.

"Oh, can we come?" Rosie asked, excitement rising.

"Yes!" Tricia said. The two of them talked all through lunch and zoned everyone else out. It was as if they had known each other their whole lives.

~jb~

"What do you mean there's no Top Ramen?!" Samantha demanded as they sat in the basement on the sofas as Tricia placed the movie into the DVD player.

"Sorry, I'm all out." Tricia tried to explain. "It's getting colder outside, best time of year to eat soup. I thought you guys knew me."

"Soup is good." Rosie agreed.

"I like soup too!" Sam said, seeming to be over-excited. What was with him? Whenever Tricia mentioned something Sam would agree with, he became excited as if it were important.

"We could pick up some pizza." Morgan suggested.

"Sounds good, I'll drive, who wants to come with me?" Samantha said quickly, she was obviously starving. Tricia could hear her stomach growl from across the room. She had to admit, she was pretty hungry herself.

"I'll come," Morgan said.

"We'll come too!" Merry joined in, placing a hand on Pippin's shoulder.

"Great, let's go." Samantha said. "We'll see you guys in a few minutes, you want cheese, Tricia?"

"Yes please," Tricia replied, setting up the movie.

"What about you guys?" Samantha asked the hobbits. The five of them looked at each other uneasily. Slowly, they all said; "Cheese…"

"Sounds good," Samantha said. They four of them took off, while the others waited around and just talked.

"It's cold down here." Rosie said, wrapping her arms around herself. "Tricia, do you have a sweater I may borrow."

"Yes I do," Tricia said. "It's warmer in the living room if you want to wait in there while I get one from my closet." She led the hobbits upstairs and into the living room. Tricia excused herself upstairs to get a sweater.

Tricia turned on her laptop. She always checked her Gmail every day, and now was a good time to check it. While waiting for Gmail to load, Tricia went to her closet to pick out a sweater for Rosie.

"Trish?" Frodo asked, peeking into the room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Tricia replied. Frodo walked over to her laptop, looking at it curiously.

"Are you going through my Gmail?" Tricia asked defensively, looking over at him.

"No," Frodo said, taken by surprise. "I was just…"

Frodo stared in shock at Tricia's computer as a message came up. Frodo recognized the airport and the top of Merry's head coming out of a black curtain.

How on earth did this happen?

Frodo couldn't let her see this! It could mess up everything!

"My friend texted me, saying she sent me a Gmail of a strange video." Tricia reassured. "It shouldn't be too personal."

_Trust me, Tricia, it is. _Frodo thought and he closed the closet door and quickly placed the chair under the doorknob.

Tricia was immediately frightened by the darkness and pounded on the door.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" She demanded, trying to turn the knob and open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Frodo stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what to say, for his only concern was to get rid of the message. But how was he to do that?

"Frodo Baggins! Let me out!" Tricia screamed.

"I will in a moment." Frodo said.

"No, you will let me out _now_!"

"What? Having trouble with being imprisoned?"

"Obviously!" Tricia retorted. "I'm going to kill you for this!"

"Do it!"

"You have to let me out first, idiot!"

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, walking inside. "Is everything alright? I heard yelling."

"Look at this message." Frodo told him, pulling him into the room. "Look familiar?"

Sam gaped at it. "Where's Tricia? She can't see this!"

"Tricia's in here!" The girl said from inside the closet. "And that's my Gmail, and it's none of your business!"

"I'm afraid to touch anything." Frodo whispered to Sam. "What if it blows up like a firework?"

"Why would anyone keep fireworks in their house?" Sam asked with surprise in his eyes.

"For various special events…" Tricia answered. "Are you idiots even from this planet?"

Frodo and Sam gave each other an uneasy look.

"Hello?"

"What's going on up here?" Rosie asked. "There's so much yelling."

"Rosie! Rosie, I'm in here!" Tricia cried before Sam and Frodo could answer.

Rosie rushed over to Tricia's aid, removing the chair and opening the door. Tricia ran out as if something were chasing her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Rosie demanded. "Why would you lock Tricia in her own closet?"

"They don't want me to see this video." Tricia said, shoving Frodo aside and sitting at her laptop. She clicked on the message and watched as Frodo stood awaiting Merry, Pippin, Rosie, and Samwise crawling out with suitcases in the airport, all wearing strange and tight clothing.

Tricia looked at the three hobbits in confusion, but also with a hint of accusation. "Care to explain?" She asked dryly.

The three hobbits looked at each other and all took a deep breath. Frodo decided maybe he could tell her about Middle Earth, it could be a better start than saying she was actually a hobbit.

"The truth is…" Frodo began.

"I have a serious problem!" Rosie finished.

"What?" The other three asked her, staring at her in surprise.

"I'm into adventures and doing things that no one else would. I like doing dares and stunts. You see, I was curious to see where all the bags go, so I just hopped on and well…it got pretty crazy. After a while the boys wanted to try it too. I guess I just got carried away, you know? I have a serious adventuring problem." Rosie took a deep breath as if she were letting out a secret.

"Oh, I see." Tricia said. "I guess we had a misunderstanding then…but that is totally awesome!"

"I know, right?" Rosie cheered. "I admit, it was kind of fun making the authorities mad!"

"Did you get arrested?"

"Luckily, no." Rosie replied.

"All right," Tricia said, after a few long moments of laughing. "I won't mention the video if it bothers you, only if you don't tell I was locked in my own closet."

"It's a deal," Rosie said, shaking Tricia's hand. "Well, the others should be back soon, so let's go have some pizza!"

~jb~

The next day, however, Tricia still felt angry at Frodo. There had been tension during the movie while they ate pizza. She sat as far away from him as possible.

That morning, as she opened her locker, Frodo walked up to her.

"I'm watching you." He said bitterly. Tricia turned and leaned against the locker with a hand on her heart.

"Frodo Baggins, don't do that to me! You realize how creepy that sounds?" Tricia snapped and turned back to her locker.

"I know you're mad at me," Frodo said, ignoring the question. "I think we should talk about the situation from yesterday."

"And I think you should go away."

"And I think you have an attitude problem."

"And I think you're annoying."

"Tricia," Frodo said, taking her by the shoulders and forcing her to turn and look at him. "Just try to communicate _properly _for five seconds!"

"All right," Tricia said. She held up a fist and started to count slowly (in sign of course). "You shouldn't have locked me in my own closet, go through my Gmail, and you're a jerk. Oh, look, your five seconds is up!" She slapped him, and then took him by the collar and pinned him to the lockers. "If you want this settled, we're doing it my way!"

~jb~

Rosie walked through the hallways until she spotted Tricia, just casually leaning by her locker. Rosie went over to her with a book hugged closely to her chest.

"Hi Rosie," Tricia greeted, seeming to be in quite a good mood. "Do you like that book I loaned you? How is it so far?"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh!" Rosie grumbled.

"Oh," Tricia's eyes widened. "You're at _that_ part already?"

Just as Rosie started nodding, she heard a pounding from inside Tricia's locker.

"Um…Trish?" Rosie asked uneasily.

"Rosie, it's me!" Frodo's voice came from Tricia's locker.

"Frodo?" Rosie asked. "What are you doing in Tricia's locker?"

"She locked me in here!" He yelled.

"Oh, I see." Rosie gave Tricia a stern look. Tricia half-expected she would make her let him out. But instead she just leaned against it and snickered. "So Master Baggins, how does it feel?"

"Rosie Cotton!"

"Hm, I wonder how long Tricia intends to keep you captured." Rosie mused. "I think all day would be good."

"No!"

"I was wondering the same thing, thanks Rosie!" Tricia said.

"Yeah, thanks Rosie!" Frodo said with sarcasm showing clearly through his voice.

"What's going on?" Sam asked. "What are you girls doing?"

"Nothing," The two said in a union.

"Sam, I'm in here!" Frodo cried.

"What?" Sam gasped. "Tricia, did you do that?"

"Yes, and now you two know how it feels to be on the other end of the situation!" Rosie retorted.

"You let him out, right now!" Sam ordered. Tricia couldn't help but to obey him. For one reason or another, she had deep respect for him, but didn't know why. Frodo stepped out and the two glared darts at each other. Sam sighed in frustration. It seemed his twin and best friend hated each other. "Listen, this isn't a good way to make friends. You two need to make it up, or make life miserable for yourselves and for the rest of us!" He took Rosie's hand. "Come on Rosie, I think we need to let them talk this out. And don't imprison each other anymore, or so help me!" He led Rosie away, and she gave Tricia a half-smile before walking away.

Tricia sighed. How could she be such a jerk? "He's right, we should settle this maturely."

"Yes," Frodo agreed. "I'm sorry I locked you in your closet. I was just embarrassed about the video."

"And I'm sorry I slapped you and shoved you in my locker. I won't do it again." Tricia replied. She held out her hand. "Can we call it a truce and be friends?"

"Truce," Frodo said, shaking her hand. "Let's be friends."

**Yay! They're friends now! Shout out to seafarer for giving me inspiration for this chapter! **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_The Joys of Unspoken Language_

_May Waters_

Samantha and Tricia were sitting at one of the tables in the commons of their school, discussing various subjects primarily through sign. Samantha pointed at Tricia and then placed two fingers on her jaw and moved them up and down. Tricia shook her head, and made a fist, rubbing it on her chest. Samantha slapped the table, but then thought of something. She put two thumbs up together and twisted them, pointing at Tricia. The girl in question simply brought her hand from her mouth to her other hand in the air, then pointed back at her friend. Grinning the first replied back by curling her middle finger, leaving the others out and rubbing her shoulders where the backpack straps would later rest.

"Stop signing to each other, you're now in the company of people who won't understand any of it." Morgan sighed sitting down with them, and leaning on her hand.

"You look tired for musical auditions today," Samantha commented signing every word, much to Tricia's amusement.

"When is the musical and why does auditioning sound painful?" Sam asked as they sat down at the table with them, having just arrived at school with Gandalf who waltzed into the attendance office as though he wasn't the slightest bit tardy to his job.

"I suppose auditioning could be a little painful, more frightening than anything. That reminds me, are you guys going to try out for Fiddler on the Roof?" Tricia moved her mouth to one side contemplating.

"Um," Frodo looked at her uneasily.

"The musical tryouts are today," Samantha clarified off of their earlier question.

"And an audition is-" Pippin waved his hand to get more answers.

"Where you sing a song for the director and they choose whether or not they want you in the production! We explained this a few days ago, how can you not remember?" Morgan clapped her hands together happily.

"That's the scary part, mostly because there are so many good singers and you might not get the part you want." Tricia told them wisely.

"Mr. Kelly better give us a lead in the Spotlights performance this year, he promised us last year. If those self-important, annoying, popular choir jerks get another roll where they're the star I will flip all the tables in the cafeteria. I'm sick of them walking around the school like the own the place, movies say it's the jocks, real life- it's the choir kids." Samantha growled glaring over at the table of the most popular choir teens.

"Not all of them are bad you know," Morgan pointed out.

"Oh I know, but the ones that are could use a firm talking to, especially when they look down on the rest of the music department. I like my stand up bass," Samantha said.

"So, are you guys going to audition?" Tricia asked yawning widely half-way through.

"I suppose we could," Rosie glanced at her companions. "Is a musical fun?"

"It's great fun, there's a lot that can be done within the realm of a musical, especially the inside jokes and friendships you end up with." Samantha grinned devilishly. "The very next day you could wind up calling your friend melon, or something."

"Melon? Do you mean _mellon_?" Merry asked saying the elvish word for 'friend'.

"Uh no, melon's are a type of fruit. You never know with what happens backstage between actors." Samantha shrugged, and jumped when the bell rang. "Well I'm off to Chamber Orchestra, where it smells of finely carved wood and ink. I can help you lot sort out a song for auditions during AIP and Spotlights today."

"Why does it smell like ink in the orchestra room?" Frodo looked adorably confused at this parting statement from Samantha.

"Music sheets and white board markers my friend." Morgan clapped him on the back gently and hurried off after Samantha yelling about how she missed her violin and cello babies.

ASL Interpretation:

Two fingers on jaw, move up and down: Gum

Shaking head: No

Rubbing fist on chest: Sorry

Two thumbs up and point: How are you?

Hand from mouth to other hand: Good.

Curling middle finger, other fingers out, rub place where backpack straps rest: Excited


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_Auditions _

Ruby Pool 

Pippin was feeling quite refreshed and filled with unusual excitement (even for him) as A.I.P. finally rolled around, having taken the most delightful nap during government (surprisingly much to Mr. Duffy's delight as he did not have to deal with the pesky hobbits constant ridiculous questions and interruptions). He was especially delighted when Morgan insisted the two of them meet alone in the Orchestra room so he could help her out with her piece and she could help him pick out one of his own before the auditions.

He didn't know what it was, but he felt drawn to the girl. She was funny, and smart, and yes she was rather pretty. Not in the same way as Samantha or Tricia, but in a way all of her own; and that made her something special. More than anything he liked her smile, but the second the two of them were alone it disappeared like a shadow in the mist.

"So are you ready for this?" He asked, grinning widely at the extremely nervous, nearly frozen stiff girl who was still standing just inside the door.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea." She hedged, her hand tentatively reaching up as if to grasp something around her neck, though Pippin couldn't see what. "I mean auditions are today so I don't see how much you could really help me with my singing. And I still have my violin piece prepared anyway, just in case."

"Oh no you don't. We made a deal and you're not getting out of it." He insisted taking her hand in his, waiting till she met his gaze. "There's still some time for me to hear your song and give you a few pointers, and it can only help to practice in front of an audience a few times."

She didn't say anything just lowered her gaze and turned her face away, but not before he saw the look of pure terror there. "I know I'm a bad dancer, and I don't blame you for not wanting to tutor me, but that's no excuse for trying to cancel our singing session. You made a promise and I'm holding you to it." When she didn't even blink at his lame attempt to lighten the mood, he took a deep breath and continued in a more serious tone. "Hey," he paused again until she finally glanced up at him. "I'm not going to bite."

"I know," she sighed, pulling her hand away from his as she stepped fully into the room. "It's just… well I'm more than a little nervous. I don't normally sing in front of people and this is more than a little out of my comfort zone."

"Like ballroom is for me." Pippin pointed out.

"Yeah I guess." She nodded in acknowledgement. "The thing is…. I haven't actually picked out a song. I mean I have a few ideas of what I'd like to sing, but I guess I've kind of been hoping you'd give up on me and I could go forward with my plan to just try out for the fiddler. It's what I'm best at: playing my violin. It makes me feel free."

"That's just how I feel when I sing." Pippin told her, smiling softly completely unconcerned with the girl's confession. "And you'll be feeling the same way by the time I'm done with you. Come on then. Looks like we'd best get busy if the two of us are to come up with a song to sing by this afternoon. Let's hear what you've come up with thus far."

She nodded resolutely, her face still full of skepticism as she pulled out some sheet music and a small little box like device on which she seemed to press a few buttons before suddenly music seemed to spring forth, and it was all Pippin could do to keep from jumping back in surprise. Even after all this time it seemed there was still much for him to learn and get used to in this strange new world.

He listened to Morgan sing a couple of songs and he came to the conclusion that she had a nice voice, a rather pretty one really, but far too quiet and full of nerves for him to see her full potential. He tried telling a few jokes and doing everything he could think of to put her at ease, but nothing seemed to work, and her voice only got softer as they continued until he could hardly hear her at all over the music blaring from her magical little device.

"Wonderful. You just need to project a little more, but we can work on that." He said as she finished yet another song.

"Forget it." She said in disgust, pulling out a seat someone had left out from their first class. "I'm hopeless, just like I told you."

He was silent for a moment staring at the dejected girl, feeling at a total loss about how to help her when suddenly he found what he thought was a brilliant idea. "Why don't you show me your violin piece?"

"What?"

"You heard me. I want to hear you play your violin." She gave him a queer look, clearly not understanding the strange request but obeyed regardless.

He listened in complete awe, hardly able to comprehend what he was hearing as he watched her play. The air positively rang with her music, each note filled not only with what he thought must be perfect pitch but the emotion behind it. Her eyes were closed, fingering was sure, vibrato crisp and clear, and her bowing was long, smooth and elfish and pretty. The whole performance was simply elfish and pretty. Pippin could think of no better words to describe it. "That was beautiful." He told her hoping his voice conveyed the complete awe he felt as she finally finished and looked up at him, her eyes absolutely shining after the performance.

"Thanks." She blushed holding her violin tenderly in her arms. "But Celestia Rose does all the real work. I'm just here to make her look good."

"Celestia Rose?"

"My violin. That's what I named her. Sorry I forget us Orch dorks and Band geeks can have some pretty strange customs when it comes to our instruments. Naming them is just one of our many traditions, though I haven't gotten around to doing so for my cello quite yet."

"I like it. It's pretty." He told her, unable to hold back his enthusiasm as he thought about the meaning behind the name. "We actually have a flower called the Celestia Rose in the Shire."

"Really?" She asked her eyes wide with amazement.

"Yep. It's really rare, and the majority of them can be found in Frodo's or Sam's gardens. He's the one who discovered them, Sam that is; named them too. Maybe we can show you a drawing sometime."

"That'd be so cool!" She agreed eagerly. "The bow's name is Dream Flower. I don't suppose you have one of those back in the Shire too, do you?"

His mouth absolutely fell open as he gaped at her in absolute amazement. If he hadn't already known she was a hobbit he would've now. The coincidences were far too uncanny to mean anything else. "Lothlorien." He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to catch the words.

"Lothlorien." She repeated. "Pretty. What is that?"

"A beautiful forest rather far from the Shire actually the translation of which means Dream Flower."

"Seriously? That's so cool, and ironic." She said, though the real irony of it seemed to go right past her. "So now what?"

"Now," he said shaking his head and forcing his mind back to the task at hand. "You're going to sing that last song again for me, only this time pretend like you're playing your violin. No, pretend you are your violin. Let the music flow through you, the same way you feel it flow through Celestia Rose." She looked at him skeptically for a moment, and then slowly nodded her head.

The difference was indescribable, and Pippin found he had been right. She did have a pretty voice, and with her newfound confidence she was positively breathtaking. At least to his mind. "It was perfect. You are definitely using that song."

"Thanks." She replied, blushing even as her smile lit up the entire room. "Now too find you one, and I think I have just the song in mind."

~jb~

Morgan could hardly believe how fast the day had gone by as she stood outside the auditorium with her group of friends filling out paper work as they waited for their turn to go in and audition. The song Pippin had helped her choose during A.I.P. was On My Own from Les Miserables, one she'd been kind of reluctant at first when coming up with her list of possibilities as it described her own love life too perfectly, but this seemed to have proved an advantage in the end. She found it was easy to connect to the lyrics and let the music flow through her as Pippin had suggested, and the results thrilled her. Never before in her life had Morgan felt beautiful while singing until A.I.P.; and for that she was eternally grateful.

Pippin himself was singing The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha. It was one of her dad's favorite musical's having gone to Spain as an exchange student in High School, and he'd practically raised her and her brothers on the songs. The moment she heard Pippin sing she knew it would be the perfect choice. He had the most magnificent voice, completely beyond description; though if she were to try she'd probably say it was crystal clear and pure as a mountain spring with a strength and beauty behind it that completely overwhelmed her.

Her friends had often talked in the past of being attracted to a boy for his singing voice, but she'd never really understood what they'd meant. Until now. She didn't know what had happened; listening to him shivers went down her back, her heat beat slow and steady in her chest, and warmth spread over her entire body. It was weird and thankfully had faded as soon as he stopped, but she was still unnerved and trying to forget about the whole thing.

Samantha and Tricia had spent A.I.P. helping the others find their songs as well: Frodo was doing "Accident Waiting to Happen" from Drowsy Chaperone, Rosie was doing "I Can Hear the Bells" from Hairspray, Sam was doing "Mr. Cellophane" from Chicago, and Merry was doing "Stars" from Les Miserables. Tricia had officially settled on In His Eyes from Jekyll and Hyde, and Samantha chose "Rita's Confession" from Lucky Stiff.

"What part should I try out for?" Frodo asked, his brow crinkled in confusion as he read through the paperwork.

"How about Motel?" Merry suggested, helpfully. "That's who Pippin and I are trying out for."

"You know only one of you can get the part right?" Samantha asked, looking at the three friends skeptically. "How is that going to impact your friendship?"

"Oh I wouldn't worry about it." Pippin shrugged it off nonchalantly. "We cousins have always been into a little bit of friendly competition. Besides I'm fine with any part."

"Me too." Frodo and Merry agreed.

"Especially Perchik. He seems pretty cool." Merry added.

"Oh that'd be actually kind of cute, considering he's Hodel's love interest and all and she's the one Morgan's trying out for." Tricia said, giving her friend a teasing wink.

Morgan didn't even respond, she was too busy staring at one of the last questions on the sheet of paper in front of her, specifically meant for those trying out for the leads: _are you willing to kiss? _Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach, and she realized all her hopes for getting the part of Hodel had been in vain even with Pippin's help; but there was nothing she could do about it. She wasn't about to change her personal beliefs and feelings for a silly show, so in spite of the growing ache in her heart she checked the no box and kissed her dream part goodbye.

"Frodo Baggins!" Mira the stage manager called out, grabbing the whole group's attention and startling Frodo half to death.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this." He hedged nervously.

"Of course you are." Rosie assured him with her bright reassuring smile, which Frodo returned half-heartedly as he stumbled toward the auditorium doors.

"Break a leg!" Tricia called after him, and he whirled around to gape at her in horror and confusion.

"Tricia!" He gasped. "I thought we were friends!"

"We are." She returned puzzled at his reaction, until she figured out their misunderstanding and let out a laugh. "Break a leg is just a way people wish each other good luck in the theatre."

"Why?" Sam asked, looking as perplexed as the rest of the hobbits felt.

"Superstition." Samantha said simply, shrugging. "We just go with it. Now hurry up, you don't want to be late." With that Frodo turned around and went into the auditorium.

~jb~

The next week seemed to go by as a blur for the group of friends. They all made call backs which were held on Wednesday, and then Spotlight Review (the official name of the auditions for the class musical which happened to be "Once Upon a Mattress") was on Friday. They found themselves frantically busy choosing more songs and doing some basic choreography with Josh's help (which he reluctantly agreed to do at Morgan's insistence) in order to be prepared. Their efforts proved well worth the work as Morgan charmed the audience with her rendition of "I feel Pretty" from West Side Story, Rosie thrilled with her choice of "I Put My Hand in There" from Hello Dolly, Merry terrified with his performance of "Link by Link" from A Christmas Carol, Samantha won their hearts singing "Home" from Beauty and the Beast", Frodo impressed with his rendition of "No More" from Into the Woods, Sam amused with his sweet but rather comical rendition of "I Really Like Him" from Man of La Mancha, Pippin astounded with his performance of "Dancing Through Life" from Wicked, and Tricia down-right brought down the house with her performance of "I'm the Greatest Star" from Funny Girl. 

It was a tradition at the school for the cast list of both shows to be posted together outside of the theatre room the Monday following both auditions. So their nerves were completely understandable as the friends gathered round to get a peek. This is a rough idea of what they looked like (At least with the important names you care about anyway).

**Once Upon A Mattress**

Princess Winifred: Tricia Tims

Dauntless: Meriadoc Brandybuck

Lady Larken: Samantha Foote

Sir Harry: Peregrin Took

Queen: Rosie Cotton

King: Samwise Gamgee

Ensemble:

Frodo Baggins (Sir Studly)

Morgan Kennedy

**Fiddler on the Roof **

Zydel: Rosie Cotton

Motel: Meriadoc Brandybuck

Hodel: Morgan Kennedy

Perchik: Peregrin Took

Yente: Samantha Foote

Ensemble:

Tricia Tims (Dead Butcher's Wife)

Samwise Gamgee (Lazar Wolfe)

Frodo Baggins

"We got our parts!" Samantha and Tricia squealed, hugging each other tightly and jumping up and down. "We finally got our leads!"

"Although, I'm not sure if I'm more excited about being Winifred or the Dead Butcher's wife." Tricia admitted grinning so wide, her face nearly split in two. "It's kind of a dream role of mine."

"Well Lady Larken is mine." Samantha said smiling sweetly. "Or at least one of them."

"I'm Hodel..." Morgan breathed, unable to believe what she was seeing. "I'm Hodel…"

"I knew you could do it!" Pippin said smiling proudly as he went to wrap her up in a big congratulatory bear hug.

"I'm only in ensemble." Frodo muttered, though he didn't seem all that disappointed with the idea.

"Don't worry, being in the ensemble is one of the more fun parts." Morgan assured him when she could think straight again. "You really get to create your own character and have all these crazy fun reactions to whatever the leads doing on stage. They're one of my favorite parts of the show."

"Really?" He asked surprised at the idea. "Cool."

"You know what we got to do now?" Samantha asked with a mischievous smile.

"Pool party celebration?" Tricia asked, as she too began to grin.

"Yes!" Morgan squealed unable to contain her excitement at the idea. "Let's go swimming!"

The three girls walked off together then, giggling and squealing as they eagerly planned their celebration party not even noticing the stunned look on the hobbits face behind them, let alone the pure terror of poor Samwise Gamgee.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Swimming

Jessie Brown

"Just calm down, Frodo," Gandalf walked out into the kitchen and set a pair of swimming trunks on the table. "Everything is taken care of." He handed him a bag. "In here is sun block, a towel, and money."

"Sun block?" Frodo asked.

"It will protect that ivory skin of yours." Gandalf said.

"Right," Frodo said. "Like I'm worried about my skin…"

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf demanded. "Your attitude seems different these days. Is it this world?"

"No Gandalf," Frodo sighed. "It's…" He placed his right hand on his shoulder.

"What about it?" Gandalf said.

"I don't want people to see it... Or Shelob's scar… Or my neck." Frodo said.

"My dear hobbit, everyone has a scar they carry." Gandalf said. "Seen and unseen, but if you prefer to keep your scars hidden, that's fine. I figured as much, that's why I put a white t-shirt in the bag as well."

"Thank you, Gandalf." Frodo said. "I don't want anyone worrying, especially Sam."

"So," Gandalf said. "What do you think of these girls?"

"They're all nice," Frodo said. "But I think Tricia may have a bad influence on Rosie."

"Whatever do you mean?" Gandalf asked.

"They talk about hair and clothes and…make up."

"I think a hobbitess would talk of such things, even if she lived in Middle-Earth." Gandalf said. "I think it's time to introduce the girls to Middle-Earth- slowly of course. Just start out with an idea."

"Will they listen?" Frodo asked.

"Morgan and Samantha don't worry me that much." Gandalf said. "It's Tricia,"

"Tricia?"

"Yes, I have looked through some of her records… She is a foster child. Meaning she's lived with multiple families." Gandalf added to clarify what a foster child was.

"How many homes?" Frodo asked.

"Too many," Gandalf admitted. "More than you. Just imagine, after your parents died, you stayed at the Brandyhall, and then lived in Bag End. Imagine having to move to another hole, and another, and another."

"Sounds…" Frodo said slowly. "Cruel…"

"It is," Gandalf said. "She had no childhood, you could say. She grew up too fast, and therefore, all sense of imagination only comes out of her writing."

"She's a writer?"

"Yes," Gandalf took out a sheet of paper from a drawer. "Read this essay she wrote. It's about women's rights."

Frodo took the parchment and studied it. Her writing style was quite exquisite.

"Wow," Frodo said. "She's amazing."

"Yes," Gandalf took the paper back. "So now I give you a fair warning. Don't try to convince Tricia, just introduce her to the idea of Middle-Earth. Tell her stories; she seems to really like them. And whatever you do, be extremely kind to her."

"Yes Gandalf," Frodo nodded.

"Now, I believe you have an appointment before you go swimming." Gandalf added.

~jb~

Frodo walked into the salon with jeans and a t-shirt, and paper cash in his pocket. No one glared at him, thankfully. If he had still been in the form of a hobbit…who knows what could have happened. He checked in, sat down, and waited. The salon smelled strong to him, it almost made him gag. When it was finally his turn, he went and sat down at a chair. A lady with a strange apron threw what looked like a blanket around him and strapped it around his neck. He winced as it pinched the scabs the chain had left, and he felt like he was being strangled. Because of his hair, the lady didn't take notice of the scars. Frodo felt unsure about her. Her hair was…big, and she wore what looked like warrior eye-liner. Her top was low and she wore pants. Why do women wear pants here…?

She considered his hair for a long moment. She went to touch and feel his hair and seemed uneasy, as if his hair was going to twist itself in her fingers and never let go.

"Okay," The lady said. "Stand up and follow me."

She led him over to what looked like a sink. She had him sit down and lean back. He jumped a little when she turned on the water, but then he relaxed when he felt the warmth. She ran her fingers through his hair. It was quite relaxing for him, despite that his neck started to ache. The lady took the shampoo and ran it through his hair, his head never felt so relaxed.

"All right," She said. "Come back over here." She led him back to the chair. He sat down and jumped again when she started to raise the chair. She began to comb his hair. She had broken two combs before she was finally ready to cut.

"Not too short?" She asked.

"Um…yes, please." Frodo replied. "I just want the hair out of my face."

"All right," She said, and with that, she began to trim his hair. It was a slow process. Frodo watched his hair falling, little by little to the floor. When his hair dried, it began to curl, but not as badly as before. When she finished, she taught him how to put gel in his hair and style it in different ways. He paid for the cut, gel, and a new shampoo bottle. He walked out, feeling like a different person. His head felt lighter without all that thickness.

~jb~

"Come on, Sam!" Morgan called from the pool. "It's not that bad."

"No," Sam stood at edge and shook his head. "I can't swim!"

"I can teach you!" Morgan pleaded.

"No,"

"I can teach him!" Tricia said. She ran over and pushed into the water, and then dove in herself.

"Ah!" Sam shouted. "Someone help!"

"Just move your legs!" Morgan said. "Like this," She went to his side and showed him how to move his arms. He mimicked her and eventually figured out how to swim.

"I…I'm swimming!" He said. "I'm really swimming!"

"Sam," Tricia stood upright. "The water's only four feet deep." Sam stood upright and then laughed at himself. The water didn't reach his head!

"Well Sam," Rosie waded over to him. "Do you want to join Samantha, Merry, and Pippin over there?" She gestured to the small group over at the six foot pool.

"One step at a time please!" Sam said. The girls laughed.

"It's okay," Tricia said. "My goal was to just get you into the water. I'm so glad; this might be our last chance to go swimming for the year. Halloween is coming up!"

"Yeah," Morgan sighed.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called over to his friend. "You finally made it!" Tricia looked over to see someone she didn't recognize. It was Frodo, but his hair was shorter and styled. She wasn't sure what to think of it.

"What did you do to your hair?" Rosie asked in surprise.

"Gandalf told me about getting haircuts." Frodo said. "Just thought I'd give it a try."

"It looks nice," Morgan said.

"Yes it does," Tricia agreed. She wanted to tell him he looked handsome…but that sounded awkward…

"Tricia," Morgan said. "You should jump off the diving board!"

"You got it!" Tricia replied. She crawled out of the pool and walked over to the diving board, almost forgetting the 'No Running' rule. She made a goal to touch the bottom with her hands. She stepped onto the diving board and walked to the edge. She looked up and waved at her friends. They waved back nervously. She bounced a few times before doing a front-flip and diving into the water.

She sank for a moment, and then used her arms to swim to the bottom. She laid her palms on the floor.

_Success! _She thought. She went to resurface when something tugged at her wrist. _Morgan's bracelet… _She mused. _It's caught on a filter. _She struggled to untangle it. Morgan had made the bracelet for her. Tricia was careful not to break it as she continued to untangle it. _Come on bracelet! _Tricia thought impatiently. _Don't be sassy! I can't hold my breath for that long! _She wondered how long she was under the water. She hoped it wasn't too long, even though she could hold her breath underwater for a long time. She had a very healthy set of lungs. She was able to pull the bracelet free.

_Finally! _Tricia thought. _Who leaves a filter at the bottom of a-?_

Before she could do anything else, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her to the surface. This startled Tricia, not to mention made her uncomfortable. Once she tasted the air, she startled to yell.

"Let me go!"

"One second." Frodo dragged her to the edge and helped her unto the concrete. He jumped out. "What are you playing at?" He demanded. "Do you know how long you've been down there?"

Tricia stood. "It wasn't that long!" She argued. "Besides, I had everything under control!" She coughed as Frodo stood to meet her face.

"And just how do you know that?" Frodo questioned. "What were you doing?"

"I was untangling my bracelet!" Tricia replied, out of patients. "It's nothing to panic about! I told you; I had everything under control! I didn't ask for your help!"

"You didn't say thank you either." Frodo murmured.

Tricia groaned. "I told you, I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help! I can take care of myself!"

"I can see why you think that!" Frodo said sternly. "But there's nothing wrong with asking for some help! Trust me, I learned the hard way!"

"Really," Tricia retorted, raising an eyebrow. "How?"

Frodo hesitated. "I…I just know, okay?"

"How?" Tricia demanded. "How do know anything?" Frodo turned away from her.

"Just forget it," He said.

"Don't you just walk away!" Tricia yelled after him, grabbing his shirt. "If you think you're so smart, you'll tell me-"

"Just forget it!" Frodo turned and shoved her away, but she didn't let go of his shirt. It ripped in half and one of the sleeves hung loosely on his arm.

That's when Tricia saw the scars.

An old, deep, black cut was on his left shoulder. On his right shoulder looked like a large bee sting. On his neck were small, strange scabs. Tricia wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed before… but his left, pointer finger was missing…

"What happened…?" Tricia asked in astonishment.

Frodo didn't answer. He turned and left without another word.

Tricia had never felt so terrible in all her life. She looked at the shirt she had ripped and fought back tears.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Halloween

May Waters

Samantha yawned and woke up, unnaturally excited for the worst holiday in history. Halloween, or as she preferred to call it: All Hallows' Eve. She had her costume all picked out and hanging in her closet. After showering and drying her hair enough to get her bangs to obey her commands, Samantha flounced back to her room and dressed in her costume. It was a form fitting, green dress; the fabric ended at her knees and would hike up mid-thigh upon sitting, right on the nose of fitting the school rules. She had thin but strong glittery blue wings jutting out from her spine. Samantha managed to twist her hair up into a fancy design with ornate pearl butterflies holding her hair in place. She dusted glitter onto her cheeks in a soft pattern, even following the line of her eyeliner around her eye, which was designed into a butterfly on her right eye. Samantha pulled at the pale colored sleeves of the dress, keeping it modest, and slid on the coral pink flats she had yet to wear.

The Chevy LUV rumbled to life, peeling carefully out of the lifted driveway. A brown bag sat on the passenger seat, having been the switch out for the large backpack which usually donned Samantha's firm shoulders. Plopping out in the parking lot, she shut the heavy door and locked it with the key. She ran across the damp asphalt, attempting to get in before the torrential rain storm could hit.

"Samantha!" She was overtaken by Tricia who collided with her in a hug.

"Hello," Samantha grinned, returning the hug. "You look like a giant yellow marshmallow."

"I'm Belle in her ball gown," Tricia smoothed out the elegant folds with her white gloved hands.

"I see it, now I'm curious- who is your roguish beast?"

"Oh, I don't know- someone I suppose."

"How am I supposed to sing Beauty and the Beast around you all day then?"

"Um," Tricia was looking at Samantha uneasily.

"I was kidding, don't be such a spoil sport."

"What are you guys dressed like that for?" A voice said from behind them. Samantha turned to find Merry and the rest of the exchange students. His eyes were trailing down her outlined figure in shock.

"It's Halloween!" Samantha told him happily.

"What is Halloween?"

"It's a day where you dress up as whatever you want and you can get candy at night for it." Morgan explained as she joined them near the front doors.

"Hey!" Samantha and Tricia gave their friend a hug.

"What are you guys, anyway?"

"I'm a fairy," Samantha tugged at her sleeves.

"I'm Belle from '_Beauty and the Beast_'," Tricia explained, twirling in her large ball gown.

"I'm an elf!" Morgan pulled a dramatic pose, pursing her lips slightly.

"You look nothing like an elf," Pippin said without thinking.

"I'm a Christmas elf! Who says elves have to look certain ways?" Morgan crossed her arms again as they took in her outfit. She had tall stockings stripped red and green with green pointy shoes, little bells jingling merrily on the ends. Her dress was green with sleeves the same color as her stockings, and a Christmas hat atop her curls and pointy ears. "I would've been a fairy, but someone said that I couldn't have the same costume as her."

Samantha grinned, a small laugh escaping her lips. "I've had my costume picked out for months!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey!" Samantha suddenly turned excitedly towards Frodo. "You could be the Beast for Tricia!"

"I'm not any kind of beast!" Frodo hissed storming away. Samantha shared a confused look with Morgan.

"What did I do?"

"He's just a little sensitive about some things from his past." Sam tried to explain before rushing after his friend.

"Tell him I'm sorry!"

~jb~

"If you dressed up today you don't have to change into your dance clothes!" Ms. Daniels yelled through the girls' locker room. Samantha had just unlocked her locker and been in the process of putting on her dance pants. Morgan and Tricia were in a similar state. With a huff, they put their dance clothes back and locked their lockers, heading into the dance studio instead.

Once everyone had assembled, Ms. Daniels began the day with a couple line dances, nothing new, just review.

"Today, before we finish up the Western Swing unit, I'm going to teach you all, the polka. It's only a day unit, so don't worry about having to do any tests or practice. I just figured we needed a small break from the Western Swing. Okay, so all the boys get on this side in a straight line and all the girls line up here."

~jb~

"Now we're going to work on the turns, everyone walk straight across and you'll find your partner." Samantha smiled up at Logan as they prepared to do the turns. Morgan had ended up with Pippin as her partner. "When you turn, don't forget to spot. It's a cha-cha and then a quick turn. First group, go."

When Samantha and Logan came across they turned a bit wrong and were one of the couples which ended up being called out.

"You need to keep your bodies closer together. Your top half is okay, it's just your waist and legs need to be closer."

"No Bible distance away here," Logan joked, making Samantha smile. They shuffled to try and get closer together. Merry was glaring in Logan's direction, not realizing how obvious he was being about it. This time as they came across the floor it much more fluid and they were complimented. When Morgan and Pippin attempted it their second time, Morgan completely biffed it and brought them both tumbling to the floor. Morgan, Samantha, and Tricia were all roaring with laughter over it. Tricia and Samantha reenacting Pippin's shocked look as they spun towards the hard wood floor.

~jb~

School had been extremely fun, being able to dance in their costumes. All three girls received several compliments from various boys. Morgan's favorite had been from Josh after dance class, Pippin had stormed away angrily afterwards.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Scary Story on Hallows Eve

Ruby Pool

Samantha, Morgan, and Tricia were just walking out of the school together after a long but surprisingly fun Halloween day when they heard someone calling after them from behind. "Miss Foote, Miss Kennedy, Miss Tims, could you spare a moment? There is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Of course Mr. White," Samantha replied smiling calmly up at the vice principle, as her startled friends whirled around to face him eyes wide. Morgan in particular was not used to any of the administration talking to her personally and tended to avoid them when possible, so this casual greeting was a bit unsettling. "What is it you wanted?"

"Well, as you know I'm also the host father of your new friends and I've been doing my best to help them settle in to this new country and school." He began, with a reassuring smile at each of the even more confused girls. "I wanted to thank you for your friendship to each of them; you have no idea how much your kindness has helped with the transition."

"You're welcome." Tricia said hesitantly, now smiling herself. "It's been our pleasure, I assure you."

"I'm glad to hear it." He replied, "But as a token of my gratitude I have arranged for a little all-nighter Halloween party here at the school, and I insist the three of you attend."

"What?!" All three girls cried in surprise and alarm at the same moment, completely unable to believe their ears at the news.

"Well as I'm sure they've already told you, none of my young students have ever celebrated the holiday before, so I thought it'd be nice if I could help them do so with a few of their new friends. Mr. Kochevar thought it was a wonderful idea as well." Morgan thought she saw his jaw tighten a little at this last statement, though it was far too imperceptible to say for sure.

"Sounds fun!" Samantha declared smiling eagerly and earning herself a couple of strange looks and glares from her friend. "What, it does? Besides, it's not like we have school tomorrow.'

"My parent's would never go for that." Morgan protested, shaking her head slowly and firmly as she found herself taking a step back obviously uncomfortable with the idea.

"Mine neither," Tricia agreed in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Thanks for the offer though."

"Actually I've already spoken with your parents a few weeks ago. They've all agreed, under the circumstances, to bend their rules a little bit just for the night." He assured them not even batting an eye at their objections.

"You've got to be kidding." Morgan breathed, her eyes, if it was possible, had grown even wider. "How is that possible? My parents would never agree to such an idea, you must have put a spell on them or something."

"Don't be ridiculous." He scoffed, chuckling quietly to himself as if the suggestion amused him. "Although I will admit your parents in particular, Miss Kennedy, took some convincing but they have all agreed never the less."

At that the three friends turned to gaze at one another, as if they were holding some sort of silent conversation with their eyes about what they should do. Not that there was much they could do, all things considered. "What time do you want us to come?" Tricia asked speaking for the whole group.

"Six. And don't worry about eating dinner before you come. I'm sure Sam will be happy to whip up something for all of us." All of the girls nodded at this, each experiencing a varying degree of excitement as they turned and walked out of the school. Gandalf simply stood there watching after them, a small knowing smile on his face.

"What have you done now, Gandalf?" Frodo asked, as he and the other hobbits approached him having just missed the conversation by a matter of seconds.

"Nothing," the old wizard defended himself from the accusatory tone of the young hobbits voice. "I've simply invited our dear friends for an all-nighter at the school tonight in celebration of the holidays."

"You what?" They all cried in unison, not unlike the girls only a few moments before.

"Why would you do a thing like that?" Sam asked brow scrunched in confusion.

"Because it's high time they learned the truth, and tonight's the perfect opportunity for it. After all, what better time to share a scary story then All Hallows Eve night?" He asked with a smug grin on his face.

"What scary story?" Pippin asked, looking more confused than ever while his companions rolled their eyes.

"Oh come on Pip." Merry cajoled as he gave his best friend and cousin a hard playful slap on the back. "You remember that little adventure we went on not too long ago? The one where our lives were in danger basically every second? With a Dark Lord, and a great war for either the destruction or salvation of all of Middle Earth. Ringing any bells?"

"Oh you mean the story about Frodo and the Ring!" Pippin exclaimed, looking quite proud of himself for figuring it out, even while his companions looked wildly around to see if anyone had heard his little outburst.

"Fool of a Took." Gandalf muttered under his breath, even as he sighed in relief believing no one had; though he did not catch a glimpse of Joshua Byrd gazing at the group suspiciously from around a corner.

"Yes, Pippin." Frodo agreed in a voice barely above a whisper. "My story."

~jb~

The girls arrived precisely at six and were immediately swept to the middle of the commons where their friends waited with a sumptuous feast. There was a couple of different salads, some sort of delicious smelling mushroom dish, fresh baked rolls, mashed potatoes, and for the main course fish and chips. Not the kind of chips you would find at some cheap fast food restaurant, but golden baked homemade ones which made the girls mouths water just looking at them.

"How did you have time to make all this?" Morgan breathed torn between gazing at the food and the blushing (but pleased) Sam in amazement.

"It was nothing." He insisted modestly. "I love cooking and I've learned enough that it really doesn't take too much time and effort for me to whip something up; especially with all of the amazing tools and conveniences you American's have. Besides, Rosie made the rolls and those are probably the best part."

"Not even!" She protested with a laugh and her winning smile. "Sam's one of the best cooks in all the Shire. I guarantee this will be the best meal you've ever had in your entire life."

"What are we waiting for then?" Samantha asked eyeing the food, especially the fish, eagerly. "Let's eat!"

The whole group, including Gandalf who sat at the head of the table as the only adult chaperone, piled up their plates with a little bit of everything; everyone except for Morgan that is, who utterly refused to try the fish.

"Sorry Sam, it's nothing against you're cooking really. I just don't eat fish." She explained apologetically as she eyed the dish with barely concealed disdain.

"It makes her feel cannibalistic, seeing as she is a mermaid and all." Samantha put in, causing all of the hobbits to look up at her in complete alarm.

"What?" Pippin yelped eyes wide with horror. "But we thought she was…." He was abruptly cut off by a sharp kick from Gandalf who glared at him reproachfully. Luckily none of the girls seemed to notice as they were all too busy laughing at the looks on their faces.

"It's just an inside joke." Morgan finally managed to choke out. "As a child I used to tell everyone I was all sorts of magical creatures, from a fairy to an elf. Mermaid was my personal favorite though."

"Oh I see." Pippin said sheepishly, though Gandalf was now regarding the girl quite closely a knowing look in his eyes.

"Well at least it seems your strange jokes have had no effect on your appetite for taters." Rosie commented, eyeing the girl's plate which was half full of mashed potatoes and chips alone.

"I love potatoes." Morgan said simply with a shrug, blushing as she and Sam continued at the same moment.

"Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew."

"The Gaffer's delight and rare good ballast for an empty belly." Sam continued on, repeating what he had told Gollum what felt like an eternity ago as Morgan stared over at him with surprised delight, not even noticing the unabashed look of shock and suspicion on the others faces.

"Exactly!" She cried, thrilled to finally have someone understand her strange slight fetish for the food. "Although, who's the Gaffer?"

"My dad, that's what everyone calls him back home: the old Gaffer. He's a gardener and his main specialty is potatoes."

"Cool! My family tried raising a garden once, but I'm afraid I wasn't much help. I'm too afraid of bugs and bee's to really work in such a place." Sam seemed completely taken aback by the idea that such a silly fear could keep anyone from gardening; and he was about to say so when Tricia let out a squeal of delight.

"These mushrooms are amazing!" She declared smiling broadly. "Just the way I like them: well cooked, tender, and soft."

"Really?" Samantha asked curiously, as she and Morgan both tried on for themselves before eagerly nodding their heads in agreement. With that the group finished their meal in relative silence, as each savored and relished in the food that was set before them.

Once their stomachs were content, and all the dishes and extra food (there wasn't much of it) were put away the group again gathered around the table looking expectantly at Gandalf for some clue of what to do next. "Why don't you all try telling some scary stories in the spirit of the Holiday?" He suggested nonchalantly though Morgan noticed the strange way Frodo seemed to stiffen slightly at the suggestion. "I know Frodo and the lads have one they've been meaning to tell you for some time now. Meanwhile I think I'd best go check the rest of the school grounds, just in case." At this he stood up and walked away, turning off the lights as he went leaving them with only the small flashlights he had presented each with at the beginning of the night.

"Alright Frodo, let's hear this story." Samantha said as she leaned forward on the table, her head resting gently in her hands.

"Yes, we all love a good story." Morgan agreed, giving the boy what she hoped was a cheerful reassuring smile. She knew she certainly hated being put on the spot, and she wondered if he might not be feeling the same way. He certainly was fidgeting nervously enough, his hand moving as if to finger something that was supposed to be hanging around his neck then retreating quickly as it found the object missing. She found herself reaching to finger her own hidden necklace, gently brushing the golden chain and longing to trace the cool ridges of her key; but she forced her hand away before she could do so and risk revealing her treasure. It was her personal secret, and she wasn't ready to share it with anyone yet; not even her best friends.

"Alright then, I'll give it a go. Just… bear with me. Some of the things you hear might seem a little strange, but I promise it'll all make sense in the end." The girls all nodded their heads, and after taking a deep breath he began.

It was a little slow going at first as Frodo fumbled slightly with the words to say, but as he continued he gradually became more confident and the tale began to pour out before them in a nearly perfect wave that washed over them completely. Sam, Merry and Pippin chipped in every once and while when Frodo missed a detail, or to fill in on a part in which Frodo wasn't as well aware of as his seeming main character hadn't played a direct part; something which ordinarily would've made the tale feel disjointed and confusing but only seemed to add to the flow as the girls listened eagerly for every detail.

The hours slowly passed by as they did so, and Morgan found herself completely caught up in this new world the boys were spinning around her. So much so she could actually see images of the adventures they were describing, the people, the events, the places, before her very eye. So real they appeared she felt she could almost touch them; and by the looks on her friend's faces they were under the same spell.

"That has to be one of the best stories I have ever heard!" She breathed with actual tears in her eyes as Frodo finally came to a close and the first rays of light began to peep inside the school windows.

"Not to mention the scariest. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep again without seeing that Great Eye." Tricia agreed, shuddering at the very thought.

"But that's not even the scariest part." Merry told them solemnly, a look of wariness coming into all of the exchange students eyes which made Morgan's stomach quiver with dread. Or was it anticipation?

"Then what is?" Samantha asked, with her eyes intent upon his.

"It's all true. Every word." Pippin said, his voice completely solemn without even the slightest hint of his usual mirth. All three of the girls gaped at him in complete disbelief, before Frodo cleared his throat and continued speaking for all of his companions.

"That's right. We really are hobbits. And so are you."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

Turn of the Tide

Jessie Brown

**Hey y'all! I just wanted to say hi, and that I appreciate reviews and insight of the story. **

** –****Jessie Brown 4 ;)**

It was silent for what felt for a long time before Tricia smiled and snickered. She eventually began to laugh. Frodo looked over at her in confusion. Everyone looked at each other nervously.

"What is so funny?" Frodo asked, sounding annoyed.

"That's got to be the best Halloween story ever!" Tricia giggled. "It's definitely one of those 'A friend of my cousin knew some guy happened to' stories. Except making _yourselves _the main characters, and then dragging us into the story! Genius!"

"You don't believe." Frodo said, though it was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course I don't!" Tricia spat at him, rolling her eyes. "Why should I? Why should I believe that a stupid ring could do all that damage?"

"Trish," Frodo said, fighting to stay calm. "You asked me where I got these scars, and you seemed so insistent that I tell you. Now I've told you."

"A poisoned blade," Tricia replied. "I believe that, but a giant spider? Sure, and an old hobbit who dresses like Tarzan and lived for five hundred years? _Please_, give me reason why I should believe you?"

"I don't know how," Frodo admitted. "All I can tell you is that you're a hobbit, everyone in here is a hobbit!"

"Right, we're hobbits!" Tricia stood and threw her arms in the air, laughing. "And Mr. White is what, hm? A wizard?!"

"Well," Merry hesitated.

"Oh, come on!" Tricia growled. "That's it then; you're all going to keep lying?"

"Tricia," Rosie said slowly. "This isn't a game. We really are hobbits…we're just trying to help."

"Help?" Morgan finally spoke up.

"Yes," Frodo reassured. "We've come to save this world, and then we're going to take you home, away from this place-"

"No!" Tricia banged her hands on the table. "No! I won't believe it! I can't! I won't! You're just like everyone else!" She pointed an accusing finger at Frodo.

"What do you mean?" Frodo asked, standing from his seat.

"You lie! Just like everyone else!"

"Trish, I know it's a lot to take in, but-"

"No, don't tell me! Don't tell me that it's for the best! Don't tell me that you know what's best for me because you don't! I know you don't! Nobody does!" Tricia raised her voice. She went silent for a long moment and began pacing around the room, muttering. "I will not go…I will not…I'm done…I can't do it again…I can't keep living like this!"

"Living like…what?" Samantha asked. All the friends stood and watched Tricia, unsure what to do, or say, or even think.

Tricia was never like this before. She seemed nervous and anxious and…and antsy…all at once. It wasn't a comforting sight.

"Trish," Rosie hesitated. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" Tricia snapped.

"You don't look so well," Sam said, as the hobbits started walking toward her. Morgan stood in shock. She had never seen Tricia like this before. Was she crying? She looked up to see everyone had moved in closer.

"No!" She screamed. "Stay away! Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" She ran out of the building. Sam stood and watched her run. He started to feel a pain for who he believed was his twin. He began to wonder what sights of terror she had seen in this world. Samantha felt unsure and hurt. To learn that she might be a hobbit was one thing…but Tricia acting out of her character was another, and Morgan felt very much the same way.

Frodo however, chased after her. Shortly, Sam and Rosie followed him.

Morgan felt tears threaten her eyes. She wasn't sure how she felt about the whole thing. She had to admit, it would be awesome if she were a hobbit and lived in this place, this…Middle-Earth. But under these circumstances that would mean…she's adopted. How could she not be related to the people who loved her and raised her? She felt torn in two…She knew it couldn't be possible, but in her heart she so desperately wanted to believe.

Samantha wasn't so sure about it either. She thought the story was great, and thought it'd be cool if it was real, but that would mean she was short... She didn't want to be short. She couldn't fathom the idea of being three feet tall. She figured her friends wouldn't have gone through all that trouble to tell them they were hobbits and lie about it. She believed…yes…she believed…But the real problem was Tricia. Samantha was pretty sure she had just suffered an anxiety attack. What did she mean by the whole thing? She wondered if everything was all right at home. But why would Tricia have such a harsh life without telling her best friends? How come Tricia never had an attack until now? Maybe the hobbits were telling the truth… Both girls looked at each other. They knew they would need time to think about the situation before deciding what they believed.

~jb~

Mr. Kochevar had sensed Mr. White walking about the school, as if he owned the place. He had to be careful. He chuckled mildly to himself.

"You were a fool to leave those hobbits alone," He snickered. "I have one last bit of magic with me." Mr. Kochevar pulled out a glass vile from his sleeve. "One last Wraith."

He poured out what looked like a black liquid. A Wraith took shape and drifted quickly behind the running hobbits.

~jb~

"Trish!" Tricia could hear Frodo yelling after her. "Come back!"

"Tricia, please!" Rosie begged. "Stop for a moment!"

Tricia finally gave in and slowed her pace on the sidewalk.

"Tricia, what's wrong with you?" Sam demanded.

"What's wrong with me?" Tricia spat.

"Trish, we've never seen you like that before!" Rosie said.

"If any of you knew what I have been through…" Tricia began loudly and trailed off.

"Tricia, we're just trying to help." Frodo reassured, panting heavily.

"That's what they all say!" Tricia said. "They all think they're trying to help, but they're not! They don't realize… I don't think they even care…"

"Who's they?" Sam asked.

Tears filled Tricia's eyes. She turned and continued walking down the street towards her home.

"Tricia," Rosie went and stood in front of her. "You have to believe us; we're not like anyone else in this world. We care, and we really want to help you…you just need to tell us what's wrong." Frodo grabbed his shoulder.

"Frodo," Rosie asked, looking behind Tricia. "Are you all…Oh my goodness…what is that?" The other three turned and looked at a tall figure, cloaked in black, walking toward them.

"No," Sam gasped. "A Black Rider!" Frodo's shoulder seared with pain, but he tried not to show it.

"Run!" Frodo managed to shout. He summoned his strength and ran as fast as he could, Sam, Rosie, and Tricia following after him. The Ring Wraith followed swiftly behind them. Frodo finally took out a tear-shaped glass and held it up, trusting his luck.

"_Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancalima!_" He shouted, sweat pouring down his face.

The Wraith stopped in its tracks as if the light had created a barrier. It laughed.

"A wielder of light…" It mused, speaking the common tongue. "You were only meant to fall into darkness."

"Hey, take a hike!" Tricia stepped forward and slapped the Wraith with a branch with dead leaves. Some of the leaves fell as Tricia waved it. The Wraith stared at her for a long moment, then turned and left them, alone in the night.

"Tricia!" Sam sighed in relief. "Does this mean you believe us?"

"No," Tricia growled. "Frodo was just standing there shining a light in that guy's face. You think I was just going to-"

"Let it go, Sam." Frodo said. "Give her some time."

"But we're running out of time!" Sam protested.

Tricia began to walk away from the group.

"Trish!" Rosie called after her.

"Let her go," Frodo said.

Tricia walked back to the school to get her car. She drove home, eyelids heavy. She pulled into her driveway. Once she secured her house, she went upstairs and took off her dress. She put her pajamas on and crashed on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

_Hush my child, have no fear_

_There is peace and comfort here_

"No!" Tricia sat up quickly and gasped from the dream. "I can't believe it! I won't!"

_Good…_ A voice seemed to sneer at her. _I want him to suffer._

Tricia cried the rest of the night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Shortness Factor

May Waters

"So you're telling me I'm going to be short." Samantha waved her fork in Merry's direction, her eyes narrowing slightly. He let out an exasperated growl and glared at her.

"Yes, you are going to be three feet tall," then with a tone of maliciousness continued, "if you're lucky."

Samantha flung a carrot in his direction; he caught it neatly in his mouth. An impressed expression took over her features for a moment and Merry considered it a victory on his part.

"Anything interest you besides the fact you're going to be short?" Pippin inquired.

"Not particularly," she nibbled on some of the teriyaki jerky, her eyes floating around the school commons.

"I get to eat mushrooms and be short and it's normal to have curly hair!" Morgan exclaimed excitedly, her hands cupping her cheeks as she squealed.

"Calm," Samantha placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed down lightly, not enough to completely stop her fangirling moment. "Honestly it's a nice story, terrifying if you actually lived it of course. I can understand how Tricia finds it surreal when I look at it with a writer's eye."

"You do believe us though right?" Merry asked warily.

"Well, it depends." Samantha rolled her eyes lazily onto his form. "Do you believe it is true yourself. If you hadn't lived it yourself would you believe such a tale?"

Merry opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again. Samantha had brought up a great point about the story and the imaginative quality it possessed. Morgan even paused in her excitement to stop and think about the truthfulness of the story.

"I suppose it would take a great deal of faith in those telling the story, wouldn't it?" Merry was staring at the tile floor. "I still remember being a young hobbit and first hearing Bilbo tell us how he had adventured away with the dwarves to try and reclaim Erebor and how he had found a weakness with the dragon Smaug while trying to steal the treasure for the dwarves-being trapped in the mountain while Bard killed the mighty beast by Bilbo's words. Smaug, who had plagued the dwarves' home mine for so long, was dead because a bird had heard his words and reported it to a royal line. It was incredible and we all wanted to believe him because it was a grand adventure, it took faith in the teller and none of us had known Bilbo Baggins to be a liar. Yet, we still never saw if Bilbo had gained the treasure we hobbits rumored were held in Bag End."

"I'm merely looking at it with a critical eye, I honestly want your opinion as to whether or not you would believe the story if it was told to you. Imagine never knowing your 'true' identity and then being told you were to be taken away from the place you've called home to a foreign land where everything is about a thousand years behind your time." Samantha said.

Merry met Pippin's eyes and they stared at each other for a long time. The corner of Merry's mouth turned up as he contemplated what Pippin's eyes were telling him. They both looked back at the tile, exploring the white tile pattern with two huge tiled letters for the school name decorated in the middle.

"No I don't think I would, but if the person were to tell me it was I know I would believe them. Perhaps you can call me naive for saying it, but it's just who I am as a person. I don't know what this writer's perspective is, but it seems specifically designed to completely kill anything anyone were to tell you. How do you believe anything your friends tell you if you look at it with such a critical eye? Just think, you wouldn't even be able to believe them if they told you they made something as simple as a sandwich for a snack. Especially if as a writer you would want physical tangible proof." Merry's eyes came up to connect with Samantha's hazel ones, only to find her sitting with a wide smile on her face.

"Congratulations kid, you've passed the test." She laughed, swinging an arm around his shoulders.

"I-what?"

"A good writer knows how to read words, even if they are spoken, printed, or on the internet and know who to trust just by reading and/or listening."

"So you did all of that just to see how I would respond?" Merry stood up suddenly staring down at the brunette.

"Is that wrong?" Samantha stood too. "If I'm supposed to trust you with my life and expect you to lead me back to my true home then I have to know you'll always tell the truth. This is going to end up being something completely based on trust."

"You had no right," Merry hissed, pressing himself forward. Their faces were so close together, their noses were almost touching.

"No right? No right to do what exactly?"

Merry spluttered. "You acted as though you didn't really believe you're a hobbit, choosing instead to make me go through a crappy monologue to convince you of our words."

"I only asked for your faith in your own words, not for you to go off on a tangent and practically tell me another story I would rather hear in full at another time."

"You're always doing things like this and you wonder why I hate you!"

"You hate me?" Samantha took and automatic step backwards, hazel eyes now glistening lightly in the dim lighting.

"I didn't mean-" She was already turning away and making a run for the exit. The lights flickered out and the doors clicked locked. Unable to escape, she slumped against one of the many brick pillars inside and attempted to not break down.

"What's going on?" Morgan's timid voice issued from somewhere in the dark. "Who's breathing in my ear?"

"Sorry," Pippin's voice responded, a small crash sounded moments later.

"Ow," Morgan told him, for he had tripped over her legs and landed in the dinner dishes.

"Cold gravy tastes surprisingly good."

"This is not the moment," Samantha hissed, having rejoined them. "Anyone know where the circuit breaker is?"

"Circuit breaker?" Merry asked, his outline coming into focus.

"Stupid medieval age idiots," Samantha grumbled, feeling her way across the floor, occasionally bumping empty dishes with the toes of her trainers.

"I feel as though that is a double negative," Merry hissed at her, anger building again.

"Oh, you knew what that was then? Would've never guessed," her voice sneered, right foot knocking over a bowl of peas which would surely be mush on the floor in no time.

"Would you two shut up?" Pippin sounded exasperated and there was a small pitter patter as flecks of gravy dripped onto the once clean floor.

"Don't you start too," Morgan groaned, they heard her body thump back onto the floor, some peas catching in her dark, wild, curls.

A loud screech filtered through the dark whole, a powerful shiver running up and down their spines several times.

"Haven't heard that sound in a long time, eh Pip?" Merry's voice sounded strangely amused for the situation they were in.

"What in Mirkwood is that?" Samantha whispered.

"How do you know about Mirkwood?" Pippin asked, his shock evident, completely ignoring Merry's not so humorous question.

"Not the time to be asking, just answer the question." Morgan said, her voice echoing through the empty halls.

"It's a ring wraith; I suppose those would still be in existence if the ring is here. Didn't cross my mind till now," Merry replied, searching the dishes for a weapon. "Anyone have any light? Preferably fire."

"Are you crazy? You could burn this whole place down with fire!" Morgan screeched on par with the wraith they heard moments before.

"Don't give away our position." Pippin slapped his hand over what he thought to be Morgan's mouth.

"You taste like gravy," Merry announced, moving away from his partner in crime.

"Sorry Merry," Pippin at least sounded sheepish. The sound came again, this time Samantha sat on the floor, trying to calm herself from the eerie sound.

"You okay?" Morgan asked, having seen the shadow of her friend sit in mashed peas.

"Yeah, I just don't like the way those ring wraiths sound."

"Me either," she joined her friend on the floor. "Should we leave the boys to take care of it-them?"

"They are supposed to be men," Samantha teased.

"Supposed to be-"

"Would you stop egging him on?" Pippin asked, taking a seat on the floor with them.

"He's too easy to hook," she muttered.

"How are we going to fight this thing off with no light or fire?"

"Mind power," Samantha raised her first powerfully.

"And you call me the idiot." Merry replied scathingly, her foot deftly connected with his ankle, causing him to hop around landing in a plate of roast beef and fall painfully on his back.

"I've got an idea!" The violent girl stood and was pulling Merry to his feet. "Let me climb on your shoulders so I can reach the lights."

"No way," He refused.

"Merry!"

"Fine," He gave in, bending down to let her climb aboard. Then he propped her feet with his hands, pushing her up until she could reach the light system. She unhooked the latches, letting the plastic swing out and away, tumbling to the ground and shattering. It was the least of her worries and if Gandalf was a wizard, he should be able to put it right in no time. Then she gently removed the four long light posts which held the chemicals to create light.

"Okay, I'm done." Merry gently brought her down to the floor, his hands resting on her waist maybe a moment too long, but Samantha didn't seem to notice. She quickly distributed the rods.

"Do not let them break. They have lighting chemicals inside and if we break them at the right moment when fighting against these creatures it should have a similar reaction to Eärendil."

"That's what you're hoping for at least."

"Yes, but it's better to hope than to doubt."

There was a sudden hissing and a cloaked shape was rushing towards them. All hobbits lifted the lights like baseball bats and swung forward together when it was within hitting distance. The lights collided and set off a high voltage explosion, electricity from motion rushing down them at the last moment. They were rocked off their feet, landing in a pile against the accordion doors of the stage psych. The lights flicked back on and where they had been standing with their Halloween picnic in ruins was a sticky tar like mess. It was hissing and bubbling violently, Samantha was the first to approach. She tried to pick up one of the bowls, but it wouldn't even move, completely glued to the floor.

"That was a lot more explosive and violent then I was expecting." Samantha replied holding her nose shut so she wouldn't have to breathe in the rancid smell.

"What has been going on here?" Gandalf was standing just inside the doors, staring at them in shock.

"War," Pippin was surprisingly grim.

"Off you go, it's best we appear not guilty in this situation." Gandalf ushered them out, turning the building off behind them.

"What happened?" Frodo asked; the three were running up the sidewalk, having heard the ring wraith's return screech.

"A little scuffle with a ring wraith, it seems our friends were quite capable however." Gandalf turned a happy eye on the four. "Who was it that found a way to cause such an explosion?"

"Samantha," Merry stated proudly, giving her the first true grin she'd seen from him.

"Smart girl, I'm proud of you." Gandalf patted her on the shoulder. "I trust you both can get home safely?"

"Yes sir," Samantha replied holding up her car keys.

"Then do so quickly, times are changing and much faster than they ever did in Middle Earth. I'm afraid we have less time than we originally planned."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Trust Fall

Ruby Pool

"There you go. I knew you could get it." Morgan encouraged Sam as he carefully but confidently played the simple but beautiful melody on his cello a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks for the help, Morgan." He said beaming with satisfaction at his accomplishment. He'd originally signed up for Concert Orchestra on accident (having meant to take Concert Choir with Rosie), but he didn't regret it. The Cello was a beautiful instrument, and he couldn't imagine himself learning how to play it any other way.

Then there was Morgan. She'd taken the class too in order to obtain more instruction and practice on her own cello which she'd received for a Christmas present the year before. Immediately upon seeing Sam in the class she'd taken him under her wing, making sure he always felt comfortable and tutoring him on proper playing technique, the two of them laughing every time they made the same mistake simultaneously (it happened a lot). He was grateful for this opportunity to become her friend.

Currently Mrs. Bea was having the kids do sectionals, where each of the different instrument groups split off to work on their part of the music together. Within their section the other two cellos (Katherine and Dallas) had agreed to work on their own, while Morgan helped Sam out with a particularly hard line. She was always doing that; offering assistance to those in need around her. Heaven knew she and Pippin had spent a great deal of time together the last couple of weeks working on their scenes for the musical, on top of her tutoring him for dance class. Josh hadn't been too happy about that, but Sam thought it was sweet. Especially after the Halloween fiasco the week before. None of the Hobbits had dared to bring up their story since, and the girls remained quiet on the subject, mainly for Tricia's sake. It'd been all they could do to stop her from avoiding them altogether.

"No problem. We're good cello buddies. Celli forever!" She declared raising her bow triumphantly into the air. Laughing he raised his as well, clinking them together almost like cups during a toast. The traditional bow five as she'd taught him.

"Do you like being a musician?" He asked suddenly studying her thoughtfully. She certainly was talented enough, and seemed to enjoy the music, but was it what she really wanted to do? Or just an idle past time?

"Yes I do." She replied stroking her cello adoringly. "Making music is part of who I am. It helps me get out my emotions and ideas. Show the world who I really am. You know generic musician stuff like that." She shrugged chuckling slightly, before turning away to stare into space and sobering immediately. "But if I'm being honest with myself, that's not the main reason."

"What is?" He asked gently, before glancing around to see if anyone else was listening. They weren't.

She paused for a moment, and he could see the debate in her eyes as she debated internally whether or not she really wanted to share, before continuing. "When I play my music, it's as if something's getting its voice, its breath, through me; like I'm the tool, the instrument if you'll pardon the expression, though which the gift of life and creating flows through." She sighed shaking her head, clearly struggling to find the right words.

"As if you're giving life to something outside yourself." Sam finished for her nodding with complete understanding. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and then widened in a smile.

"Exactly. How did you know?"

"Because that's exactly how I feel about gardening." He replied easily, and her smile broadened.

"Hmmm… Must be a Hobbit thing." She mused. It was Sam's turn to be startled.

"You mean… you believe?" He asked, not quite daring to hope. She shrugged, a tinge of sadness coming over into her warm brown eyes.

"Samantha's completely convinced. I don't think there's even the tiniest hint of doubt in her mind. Tricia on the other hand absolutely refuses to have anything to do with the idea." He frowned. It hurt to think his own twin wouldn't accept the truth, but Samwise Gamgee wasn't one to give up. He'd find a way to convince her. One way or another.

"As for me, I believe the story is true. And I know you guys are Hobbits. I just don't know if I believe I'm one. A part of me wants to, it'd explain so much." Her eyes took on a faraway look at that, but then she shook her head sighing softly. "But that would mean my entire life has been a lie; I don't know if I can accept that. I don't know I want to."

"I understand. It's one thing to pretend to be a magical creature, it's another to find out you actually are one. Well sort of." He said keeping his own voice light and gentle, earning him a small giggle. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if I were to learn my family wasn't really my family. They mean the world to me."

"Yes." She agreed, nodding her head slowly. "The same for me."

"But I promise you Morgan, you can trust us. We wouldn't tell you something like this if we weren't absolutely positive it were the truth." He reached out to gently touch her hand, their eyes meeting and locking as she searched his for the truth.

Suddenly, and to his great surprise, a picture filled his mind. He could see himself working in the garden outside Bag-End as he always had, only with this girl kneeling beside him. She tended to the flowers with the same quiet gentleness she did everything, humming softly to herself, when a mischievous glint came into her eyes. She picked up a handful of dirt, and laughing threw it straight in his hair. Alarmed at first, Sam simply glowered over at her before breaking into a grin of his own and tossing some dirt in her direction. They continued on like that laughing and playing, seeming completely comfortable with one another. Like best friends.

"You are a Hobbit." He whispered as the vision ended. Morgan blinked back the sudden rush of tears which seemed to come to her eyes, appearing even more confused and torn than she'd been before. Then taking a deep, she forced another smile.

"You know, Samwise Gamgee, I think you and I could be really good friends." He laughed, and nodded his head in agreement wondering if she'd witnessed the same vision he had.

Laughing herself, she placed her bow back on the string and closing her eyes began to play a simple tune; unlike any he'd ever heard before. And yet somehow familiar. Like a Hobbit lullaby. She played for what felt like ages, but must have only been a few minutes, before finally allowing the sound to fade. Unable to bear for the moment to end, Sam picked up his own bow and did his best to mimic what she'd just played. He actually did an exceptionally good job, especially for not being used to playing by ear. Morgan smiled and gave a little giggle, before harmonizing along with him, providing a meek but gorgeous counter melody, before coming back into unison to finish the piece off.

The two friends stared at each other, grinning shyly as the magical moment seemed to linger in the air. Not a romantic magic, not in the very least, but the kind of two friends uncovering a dark hidden secret from ages ago. "Wow… That was amazing." Morgan finally broke the silence and Sam nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Yes it certainly was." Mrs. Bea spoke up from behind them, causing both students to whirl around in their chairs blushing furiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Bea… we… we…" Sam flustered as Morgan finished with him, "Weren't aware you were there."

"We did work on the piece you gave us though, I promise. Sam's practically a pro at it now, and I'm not too far behind." She assured their teacher hurriedly, not wanting her to think they'd been messing around this entire time.

"It's quite alright." Mrs. Bea assured them in turn, an amused smile spreading across her face. "That song though really was impressive. Did you compose it yourselves?"

"Morgan did. I just kind of followed her." Sam admitted beaming proudly at the blushing girl next to him.

"I'm impressed." The teacher said her attention now focused, though she didn't appear to be the least bit surprised at the news.

"It was nothing. Just a bit of messing around." Morgan brushed the whole incident off with a shrug.

"That's the best messing around I've heard in a long time." That only made Morgan blush even harder with embarrassment and pleasure at the compliment. "Have you ever considered composing your own music?"

"Me?" She gasped eyes wide with surprise. "Well um… no. Honestly it never crossed my mind."

"Well you should. You're very talented. I'd love to see what you could do on the violin." Mrs. Bea encouraged. "In fact if you'd like I'd be happy to arrange a little senior showcase for you to show off some of your work. Only if you're interested of course."

"That sounds amazing." Morgan replied beginning to catch the excitement of this new idea. "I'll have to think about it of course, but it sounds fun."

"Great. Well we'd better be joining up with the rest of the class." The students nodded their heads and picked up their cumbersome instruments, ready to haul them back to the classroom.

~jb~

"Do you think we're ready for this?" Pippin asked, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. It was test day for the Western Swing, and the two of them had been working on it diligently everyday after school since the unit began so many weeks ago. Something Josh hadn't been too happy about, especially since Morgan had chosen Pippin to be her partner for the actual unit over him. She'd brushed aside his concerns easily enough though, insisting a promise was a promise, and that it'd be easier for her to tutor him if she got a chance to dance with him in class as well. Still, despite his impressive progress Pippin was extremely self-conscious about his skills.

"Of course. We'll do great. Just remember what we've practiced and have fun." She reassured him smiling patiently, as she strained to hold back a yawn. It didn't work.

"Are you alright?" He asked, brown furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, just a little tired. My dreams were strange last night, didn't get a lot of sleep." Ever since Halloween her visions of Middle-Earth had become more vivid, and came more frequently. Scenes from the Hobbits adventures flashed through her mind each night, calling to her like echoes from a past she should remember and yet didn't. She also caught glimpses of adventures by another Hobbit, one she'd never met before. At least, not on Earth. Though his smile and Tookish adventurous look in his eyes was strangely familiar. As was everything about her dreams of late. However the main thing which had been keeping her awake was the vision of a single flaming eye, wide open with alertness, boring down into her laughing at her confusion, pain, and fear. The eye of Sauron. But she was not about to admit that to Pippin.

He reached out and gave her hand a quick suprisingly encouragaing squeeze, leaving her hand tingling where he'd done so. Morgan blushed, instantly reminded of the first time Josh had taken her hand way back during their sophomore year in the Orchestra room. It hadn't been for anything special, just to help her up and pull her into a friendly comforting hug (okay so it had been kind of special, for her anyway), but it had left the same tingly fiery impression which traveled through the veins in her hand straight to her heart. Only she couldn't recall if those feelings had been as strong as this? What did it mean? "All right. If you say we're going to do fine, then we're going to do fine. I trust you Morgan."

His simple words of kindness and childlike faith warmed her to the very bones, and she smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks Pip."

Just then Ms. Daniles came into the room, and all of the students darted to their roll call lines for warm up. She didn't waste any time getting the testing started. Technically a majority of the class had already completed their testing the last B-day, leaving only Pippin and Morgan along with two other couples left to finish up today. They took one anothers hands and grinned excitedly at one another, anticipating the moment when all their time and hard work would pay off. The music began, and instantly Pippin pulled her close and lead her through the combo with a speed and confidence which amazed even Morgan.

They flew through the combos with an ease and flair which made Morgan fairly giddy with delight. The Western Swing was one of her favorite dances of all time. She loved the speed, the music, and most of all she loved the spinning. Pippin had laughed the first time he told her about this, and ever since had deliberately drawn out the spinning moves just to make her squeal with delight. Josh usually sped through them, which still gave her a moderate thrill especially as they finished the routine with room to fit in a few extra freestyle moves at the end. Not that this was a problem, it just showed one of the many differences between the two boys.

Finally they reached the freestyle stage, and Pippin effortlessly transitioned the two of them into the routine she'd taught him. It was fairly easy, but extremely fun. The one she and Josh had choreographed together their first year in Ballroom. She'd chosen it for its simplicity, as they'd created the routine back when her self-confidence in her own dance abilities had been less than they were now. It had nothing to do with her new obsession with comparing everything Pippin did to Josh. Why did she insist on doing that anyway?

She nearly groaned out loud with frustration at herself and her strange psyche, when she she took a small breath (not wanting to alert Pippin to her inner turmoil) and forced herself to relax and just follow where he lead her. Several times she'd given him permission to change things up a bit, though at the time he seemed a little hesitant to do so. Which had been fine with her, since it'd actually be a bigger challenge for her than him. Following a persons lead was one of the greatest signs of trust; at least for Morgan.

Pippin squeezed her hand again, regaining her attention as she met his steady gaze. His smile was as bright as the sun at noonday. He was so proud of himself and their performance thus far. She returned the grin eagerly, realizing it was almost time for their 'grand finale': the dip. He raised a quick eyebrow in question to her readiness. Her grin only widened as she gave a quick bob of her head. Then their gazes locked and suddenly Morgan found herself completely caught up in… him. Everything else seemed to fade away as she took in those twinkling green eyes, mischievous grin, the sound of his laugh. And in that moment, she understood what all the comparing had been about. She liked Pippin. Really liked him. In fact, she was pretty sure she was falling in love with him. And the thought terrified her.

Without even realizing it she followed through with the dip, only it wasn't the ordinary dip she'd practiced with Pippin. It was the two legged dip. One of the hardest moves they learned in Ballroom class. Morgan had never even attempted it up to this point; and yet here she was jumping up and onto Pippin's waiting knee, extending both legs as if pumping them on a swing as she fell back into his strong reassuring arms.

When they finished the whole class gaped at the two of them for a moment, before bursting into applause. They stared back in confusion for a moment, before realization hit them. Pippin's eyes widened in awe, while Morgan's immediately sought out Josh. He was glowering over at them, the pain and anger in his expression making her want to die inside. He stomped out of the room without looking back. She immediately darted after him.

"Josh!" She called, catching up to him in the hall and grabbing his arm forcing him to turn around and face her.

"What was that about?" He demanded angrily. "I thought we were waiting to do that move together."

"We were. I was. I'm sorry Josh, I don't know what happened. Pip and I never planned to do so. We never even rehearsed it. It just sort of… happened." She tried to explain the whole phenomenon away, but somehow it only sounded worse the more she kept talking. "I'm sorry Josh. We'll always have the Waltz." She pointed out, gripping his arm desperately unable to imagine what she'd do if she lost him. Crush on Pippin or not, she still loved Josh.

Sometimes she really hated being a teenager.

"Yeah I guess." He shrugged, before forcing a smile and reaching to take her hand. Morgan sighed in relief and the two of them began to walk back toward the classroom. "That was some trust fall." Startled she glanced up at him, searching for any malice in the comment. But there was none. Just an honest observation.

"Yeah." She agreed, nodding to herself more than him as the full implication of such a thing hit her like a ton of bricks. She grinned. "It was."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The Mirror

Tricia tossed and turned in her bed that Saturday morning. Ever since she heard that ridiculous story about hobbits, her nightmares have been getting worse. It was the same dream every night.

_Ivy! Run!_

That strange voice practically screamed in her ear. Tricia screamed and jumped up. She was glad that her parents were out of town. She sighed in relief, and lay her head back down on her pillow. It was strange…she remembered having those dreams when she was little. She would wake up during the night, screaming, crying, and kicking. No wonder no one wanted her. But still, she grew out of it and didn't have that dream, until now. She sat up again, wondering who could help her with this problem. Samantha? No. Morgan? No. A teacher? No. Her parents. Ew!

Finally, she decided who to talk to. But she wasn't sure if he wanted to see her. She paused as she went to get dressed. Would he want to see her? Would he understand…?

"He's just got to," Tricia declared.

~jb~

Tricia tapped on the door and was surprised to find it open. She slowly made her way in. The house was done very nicely. There was a small chandelier handing overhead by the door, and the dining room was decorated nicely.

"Hello?" Tricia called out, walking into the dining room. The floor, table, and chairs were all dark wood. Her feet made a small thump as she walked through the room. "Is anyone here?"

"Miss Tims?" Mr. White walked into the room. "What brings you here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by." Tricia said.

"I expect you're here to see Rosie?"

"No, Frodo," Tricia cringed. She was here to see Mr. White, why did she say Frodo?

"Very well," Mr. White nodded. "I shall fetch him then. Help yourself to a peppermint. They are my favorite."

"Thank you," Tricia said. Mr. White walked out just as Tricia made her way over to the table with the clear bowl sitting on top. She noticed a tall mirror leaning against the wall. She looked at herself as she reached for one of the red candies. Her hand missed and the bowl tipped, pouring out some peppermints onto the floor. She dived to retrieve the candies and noticed one bouncing through the mirror.

Tricia sat in horror. She studied the mirror for a moment. Testing to see if she had really seen it, she tossed another peppermint into the mirror. It went through as if she had dropped it into water, the mirror even rippled as such. Tricia slowly stood and put her hand to it. She had felt the cold of water and pulled her hand away. The mirror rippled. Tricia gathered her courage and put her hand to the mirror once more. This time, instead of pulling away, she stepped through, head first.

It had momentarily felt as if she had plunged into water. But the new environment felt warm and cozy. She found herself walking down a round hallway and into a humble dining room. The windows were mostly round and the burgundy door had a circular shape with the knob built in the center. A man sat at the table, with thick, curly, hair and big hairy feet. The sight was unusual. This man seemed familiar.

"Excuse me?" Tricia said carefully, trying not to spook the man. "What's going on here? Have we met?" The man seemed oblivious to her presence. Tricia waved her hand in his face, but still got no reply from him. Tricia would have tapped his shoulder, but something else had caught her attention. A lovely voice drifted from another hallway. Tricia followed it down the round hallway and into a room. There was a woman by a cradle, holding a baby. She sang a song to her baby.

_Hush my child, have no fear_

_There is peace and comfort here_

_There is also warmth and love_

_The angels watch you from above_

_Content and happy you will be_

_Forever my baby, you will be_

_An angel sent from high above_

_To bring home safely those I love_

Tricia forgot how to breathe. Why was that song so familiar? Why was this place familiar? What was it about this woman who Tricia instinctively loved?

_Those are the words… _Tricia thought. _Those are the words to the tune! _

A knocking at the door pulled Tricia out of her thoughts.

"I'll get it!" The man called.

"Very well," The woman replied. Moments later, Tricia heard a cry. She looked down the hallway to see the man struggle against the door. He held his hand firmly on the knob, and the other was pressed up against the door.

"Ivy, run! Get out of here! Save the baby!"

"What is it?" Ivy asked her voice uneasy.

"An intruder and he's got a sword!"

Ivy rushed over to a small chest, large enough to fit an infant. She held the baby and kissed her forehead. Tears poured from the mother's eyes. The baby seemed to be ready to wake, and start tears of her own.

"Ivy, run!" The man called.

"Hush child," Ivy whispered to the baby.

"Run, Ivy!" The man stepped back as a sword took a swing at him. "Get out of-" Tricia winced and turned away as a sword slashed through his throat.

Ivy kept herself from sobbing uncontrollably. "Hush child," She whispered. "Hush child…be safe, I love you little one." She placed the baby into the chest and closed it. She ran from the room and down the hall.

"No!" Tricia screamed. "Don't come this way!" Her vision blurred as the intruder stepped through her. It left an uncomfortable pain inside her. Tricia felt as if she was drifting backwards, away from the scene.

The last thing she saw was at the end of the hall, the intruder loomed over Ivy. She backed into the room and there was a stifled scream.

"No!" Tricia shouted and found herself back in the dining room with Mr. White.

"Confused?" He asked her. "I would be too," He continued when Tricia didn't answer. "You know Miss Tims, I have often wondered what happened to that infant Bilbo Baggins found the next morning."

"Bilbo?" Tricia asked, recognizing the name Frodo had mentioned.

"Yes," Mr. White said. "He found the baby and brought her to me. I decided that Sauron must have used a Seeing Stone to predict the future. He must have thought eliminating this baby would keep his enemy from being happy."

"What do you mean?" Tricia asked.

"In time," Mr. White said. "You will see."

"Mr. White…?" Tricia hesitated. "My dreams…they look like that…" Mr. White tilted his head, allowing her to continue. "Who are those people? What…what happened to the baby?"

Mr. White didn't answer immediately. "They are who you will believe them to be."

"I don't understand…" Tricia said.

"That baby," Mr. White continued. "That baby is now safe, but not for much longer. Once she is discovered, someone will want to keep her from her destiny."

Tricia stayed silent.

"But there is no escaping destiny." Mr. White reassured her.

"But…where is the baby now?" Tricia urged.

Mr. White raised his eyebrows. "I'm looking at her."

Tricia gaped at him. "No," She backed away. "No, it's not true, it's not true!" She began to cry.

"Miss. Tims," Mr. White said.

"No," Tricia snapped. "I won't believe it! I won't!" She ran toward the door.

"Tricia," Mr. White said loudly, making Tricia stop in her tracks.

"What?" She said harshly.

"Be safe,"

"Sure," Suddenly she gasped and looked over at him. Why did _those_ words sound familiar? She shook it off and left the house, running home as fast as she could.

**So, I actually wrote that poem myself. It seemed dumb to me for a while, but now it's starting to grow on me. Hope you enjoyed.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The Snow

Ruby Pool

Morgan bolted upright in her bed, gasping for air, the sound of her cell phone ringing on her bedside table ringing in her ears; her dream of the courageous Hobbits vanquishing the spiders, morphing into one of the fiery lidless eye of Sauron, gratefully beginning to fade from her mind. Though not fast enough. "Hello?" She whispered, doing her best to keep her voice from trembling.

"Do you want to build a Snowman?!" Tricia sang out on the other side, and Morgan laughed at her friend's enthusiasm allowing herself to relax. "Come on let's go and play!" Ever since first watching it in theatres, Frozen quickly became one of the girl's all-time favorite movies. They returned to watch it a total of five times. Once with Morgan's family, once with all the hobbits again, once as a girls night out, and twice with Sam, Pippin, and Josh. Those last two surprisingly hadn't been nearly as awkward as Morgan had feared. For when she was watching the movie, she found her whole attention preoccupied by the characters on the screen rather than the boys sitting on either side of her; particularly Kristoff. And she soon discovered being in love with a fictional character was much easier than falling in love in real life.

"Sounds good to me." Morgan replied once she'd gotten her giggling under control. "Although I don't think this is exactly the season for it."

"Oh really?" Tricia asked, more than a twinge of excitement in her voice. "Go look out your window."

Morgan did as she was told and was thrilled to discover the thick layer of snow on the ground. "Oh my goodness!" She cried, jumping up and down as she squealed into the phone.

"Yep." Tricia affirmed and Morgan could her smile in her tone. "The first snow of the season and you know what that means."

"Soldier Hollow!"

~jb~

Only a few hours later she was running out of her house, calling quick goodbye's to her parents, even as Josh opened his passenger door for her to hurry and get in. "Excited?" He asked, grinning as he began to pull out of the driveway.

"Of course!" She replied matter of factly. "Aren't you?"

"Always. Sledding at Soldier Hollow is probably one of the most fun times I do all winter." He pointed out.

"Me too!" She agreed. "That's why I love it so much!" Ever since the beginning of their friendship, the first snowfall of the season Tricia's parents had agreed to pay for Tricia and all of her friends to take a trip up to Soldier Hollow so they could go sledding and tubing. It was a tradition they all enjoyed very much, and the girls were even more excited than usual to share this experience with their Hobbit friends.

They arrived at Tricia's house to find all of their friends already there (including Kyra), all the girls ready to tackle Morgan with a huge hug the second she got out of the car. "Isn't this so exciting!" Rosie squealed jumping up and down much the way Morgan had done earlier. "I've never been sledding before. I have no idea what to expect!"

"Technically it's tubing." Samantha corrected as she always did, making Josh roll his eyes good naturedly at Morgan. She and Tricia struggled to hold back a laugh as Samantha continued, completely oblivious. "But it's still way fun. You'll love it!"

"I'm not too sure how I feel about this." Sam said coming over to join them along with the rest of the Hobbit boys. "It sounds dangerous to me."

"You'll be fine." Tricia assured him. "They only make us sign the waivers in the tiniest possibility that one of us were to get hurt, but it isn't very likely. I promise."

"So there is a chance we could get hurt doing this!" He demanded eyes widening in panic.

"Well yes, technically." Tricia began, and Sam looked just about ready to bolt, before Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Sam, as long as we follow the rules no one is going to get hurt. Stick with me and I promise you'll be alright." She reassured him, but though he relaxed slightly his gaze was still uncertain.

"Are you sure?" He asked tentatively, obviously gathering his courage (he had a very large supply of it, as he'd learned on his last adventure, he just needed a gentle reminder).

"Yes." She replied firmly. "I took care of you at the pool didn't I? And look at you now, you practically swim like a pro." She winked and he blushed furiously, before smiling with newfound confidence.

"Alright, what are we waiting for then?" He asked eagerly.

"Well since our group is so large this year my parents decided to rent a bus so we could all ride up together." Tricia explained, just as the nicest bus any of them had ever seen before in their lives pulled up on the road alongside the house. The friends all cheered with excitement.

The talk on the ride up drifted from school, the musical, Christmas, the upcoming dance '_The Winter Waltz_', and finally to Frozen. Kyra simply rolled her eyes as the rest of the group tried to figure out which character they would be. She hadn't been nearly as taken in with the movie as any of the others, but she found the conversation fairly amusing.

"I'm Elsa!" Samantha called out the instant the topic came up, holding her hand in the air as if possessively reaching for the role. "I've never felt such a strong connection to any of the Disney Princesses before. I'd be perfect for her! Besides, she's the coolest character in the entire movie." There were a few protests at that, but Morgan simply chose to ignore the comment as her own hand shot into the air.

"I'm Anna!" She yelled eagerly. "She's so funny, and sweet, and awkward. Just like me! I love her!"

"And a certain blonde mountain man with his cute pet reindeer." Tricia teased grinning good naturedly at her friend who simply blushed in response.

At that both Josh and Pippin sat up straighter and both cried out in the same moment, "I'm Kristoff!" The entire bus burst into laughter as the two boys glared each other down, though Morgan began to squirm in her seat beginning to feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

"No, I'm Kristoff, you're Hans." Josh said through gritted teeth.

"No way! It's the other way around!" Pippin shot back.

"Boys, boys." Samantha said turning around in her seat so she could stare both of them down. "There is an easy way to settle this matter. Both of you explain why you think you're Kristoff and the other is Hans, and the rest of us will vote. And in case of a tie, Morgan will be the deciding vote."

Morgan glared at that, but both boys seemed eager at the challenge. "All right, well it's simple. Josh is the dancer so he's obviously Hans, perhaps the only thing good about the guy in the entire movie. While I am the singer, like Kristoff." Pippin said grinning at his convincing argument.

"Whatever." Josh said rolling his eyes. "Hans sings more than Kristoff does, and I could totally sing the reindeer song if I wanted to. Meanwhile I'm the one who actually looks like Kristoff, because I'm blonde."

"Are you holding back your fondness, due to his unmanly blondeness!" Pippin sang in his gorgeous voice, smirking at Josh's enraged glare.

"I love blondes!" Morgan squealed in response, before slapping her hands over her mouth and blushing bright red with the confession. Now it was Josh's turn to grin smugly, while Pip glared in return.

"Nice try, Cheerios." Josh said, but the young hobbit was not about to give up.

"Well I have a best friend who is a reindeer!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, making everyone in the bus stare in shock.

"Really? Who?" Samantha asked the question on all of their minds.

"Merry." He replied with false bravado.

"Oh of course." She nodded in agreement. "I should have known."

"Yes, of course." Merry nodded, before what was being said suddenly seemed to click. "Wait what?!"

The entire bus filled with roaring laughter, just as they arrived at Soldier Hollow. They piled out of the bus, before Samantha or either of the boys could insist on a vote, Morgan leading the way. The group followed the three girls and Josh as they led the way to the lines where they'd receive their tubes and be hooked to the conveyor belt like contraption which would pull them up the hill.

The Hobbits were in complete awe as they watched all the people speeding down the hill, looking as if they were having the time of their lives. Never had they ever seen anything like it back home in the Shire, and for the boys thinking about their last experience with snow climbing Caradras they snuggled a little closer in their coats. But in spite of the strange almost frightening appearance of the activity, they found themselves filled with the contagious spirit of excitement which filled the air.

The group was informed that they would need to go in pairs of two for the first few runs, to prove they were willing and capable of following the rules, before forming any larger chains. Without a second thought Samantha grabbed Frodo by the arm and was tugging him toward the first slope, Tricia and Rosie following close behind them. Josh and Pippin resumed glaring at one another as they each took a step in Morgan's direction. She completely ignored both of them taking Sam's hand in hers instead.

"Come on Sam! Let's go on an adventure!" The two took off, and Kyra laughed at the poor dejected boys left behind. Josh was the quickest to brush off his disappointment.

"Hey Kyra, want to be my…" He began, but she didn't even let him finish.

"Come on Merry. Let's leave these two Kristoff's together and have some real fun, shall we?" She invited.

"Yes, we shall." He agreed casting his best friend and cousin a smirk as if to say, 'That's what you get for calling me a reindeer.' Then the two were off.

~jb~

Morgan couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. She and Sam flew down the slopes so many times, she'd honestly lost count. They'd screamed at the top of their lungs, clutching at one another's tubes, as they hurtled downward and then laughing their heads off once they safely reached the bottom. After their fifth run Morgan couldn't resist scooping up an armful of the fine powder around them and dumping it over the poor unsuspecting Hobbits head, starting a snowball fight which lasted throughout the day. Tricia and Rosie quickly joined in, and Morgan thought she'd noticed the lovely Hobbit lass giving them a knowing look as she and Trish teamed up to tackle a protesting Sam back into the snow, though she had no idea what it could mean.

"Are you guys ready to try a chain ride yet?" Samantha asked as she, Frodo, Kyra, and Merry came up to stand beside them. "It's almost time for us to head out, and I don't want to leave before we do a run all together as a group. What do you say?"

"Sure, we're ready." Tricia agreed, struggling to her feet, just in time for Sam and Morgan both to yank her back down.

"Yeah, we're ready." Rosie agreed, rolling her eyes at the giggling troublemaking (surprisingly so) trio. "Where are Josh and Pippin? Aren't they coming with us?"

"They're already waiting at the top." Kyra pointed.

"Yeah, so we better hurry before they kill each other." Merry warned, to which they all agreed, and hurried off to join them.

At the top Samantha insisted on organizing the train so everyone got to be hooked onto people who hadn't been in their earlier group: Samantha, Pippin, Rosie, Merry, Morgan, Frodo, Tricia, Josh, Kyra and Sam. Everything went all right their first time, but during their second and final run Frodo's grip on Morgan's tube slipped and the chain broke. The look of absolute panic on Frodo's face made her giggle completely unconcerned about the situation.

That is until her side of the train reached the bottom and she noticed the others were not slowing nearly as much as they ought to be, and struggled to brace herself in time for impact. The next thing she knew tubes were flying through the air, the perfect blue sky flying past her eyes, as she struggled to make sense of what was happening.

"Morgan!" Sam, Pippin and Josh all cried out at once. And then the world went black.

~jb~

A young Samwise Gamgee knelt in the garden outside Bag-End tending to the flowers, a young Hobbit lass, who looked so similar she could only be his little sister, sitting beside him in the dirt. Suddenly the lass leaped to her feet, letting out a shriek of absolute terror, causing Sam to jump up as well.

"What is it Marigold? What's wrong?" He asked scanning the immediate area for any danger.

"Spider! Spider!" She wailed pointing an accusing finger back into the dirt. Sam glanced down in the general direction, and letting out a small sigh of pretend exasperation used his small spade to squash the tiny creature.

"There, it's gone now see. Everything's alright again." But Marigold wasn't comforted; tears of fear still pouring down her cheeks her eyes perusing the ground for anymore of the vile invaders. Sam walked over to her, taking her gently in his arms and smiling tenderly while she cried into his chest. "There, there Morgan. Everything's alright. I've got you."

"Morgan?" Marigold asked, looking up suddenly very confused, but Sam didn't even seem to notice the slip nor his youngest sister's reaction.

~jb~

"Mom! Dad!" Morgan screamed in the middle of the night, her parents rushing into her room to see what was the matter. She was standing on her bed, eyes wide with fright, and filled with tears as she pointed to a spot on her wall where an average sized spider stood staring unblinkingly back at her. Mother and Father glanced at each other in complete exasperation as the young girl continued to scream and begged for them to kill the evil monster before it could hurt her. Taking off one of his slippers, her father did just that. Then tenderly but firmly they set about tucking her back into bed, her small body still shivering with anxiety under the covers.

"Sam." She murmured under her breath, her eyes beginning to droop once more with sleep in spite of herself. The mother stared at her daughter in concern, confused by the comment. "Sam. I need my Sam."

"Do you want your Goldilocks?" The mother asked holding up the child's favorite doll and holding it out to her. Morgan nodded gratefully as she accepted the toy, holding it tightly to her chest as she fell back asleep.

~jb~

Sam fought the giant spider Shelob with all his might, struggling not only to defend his own life but that of his master's as well. He relived the entire fight. Except no, Morgan was reliving it. Through Sam's eyes. Yet she could hardly tell them apart. She had no idea how or why, but she continued to watch and breathe in the tale through his eyes until the spider was vanquished and she was left alone with her master. "Mr. Frodo!"

~jb~

"Morgan? Are you alright?" Morgan's eyes blinked open to find herself lying in the snow, Sam cradling her in his arms while Josh and Pippin sat on either side clutching at her hands.

"Sam?" She whispered hoarsely. "What happened?"

"You flew out of your tube when we collided." He explained, sighing in relief to see her conscious once again. "Did a complete somersault in the air before hitting your head on the ground. You gave us all quite the scare."

"You can say that again." Pippin muttered, before gently pushing her back down even as she struggled to come to her feet. "Oh no you don't missy. Samantha and the nice park lady told us to keep you lying still until they could get some help. You're not going anywhere."

"Morgan, I'm so sorry." Frodo said coming to join them, his face pale, full of pain and anxiety on her behalf. "I didn't mean to let go. I'm so, so, sorry."

"It's alright Frodo." She assured him with a small smile. "It was an accident. Besides I'm fine. Just a little bump on the head." He shrugged, not convinced, before holding out a gold chain to her on which hung a curious key. Her key. "My necklace."

"It fell off when you flipped." He explained gently placing it on her head, though she noticed the way he eyed it suspiciously. "I found it for you though."

"Thanks." Just then the onsite nurse showed up, and after glancing over Morgan quite thoroughly he declared her to officially be just fine and the group set off for home.

~jb~

The Hobbits invited the gang over to their house for some hot chocolate to which Morgan, Tricia and Samantha immediately accepted though Josh and Kyra regretfully had to go home. While they all enjoyed their delectable hot beverage Morgan found herself fingering her precious necklace more than usual, no longer taking her usual care to keep it hidden. After all it had already been discovered so what was the point?

"Do you know where it came from?" Frodo asked her, still eying the key as he had earlier.

"No." She admitted, forcing herself to let go and allow it to hang freely from around her neck. "Though I've had it for as long as I can remember. Why?"

"It just seems so familiar." He murmured thoughtfully. "Like one a friend of my Uncle's used to own."

"A friend of Bilbo's?" Pippin asked intrigued by the conversation. "Who?"

"Thorin." The name struck a chord somewhere within Morgan's soul, though she had no idea how or why.

"Oooh. This sounds like an interesting story. Do tell." Samantha encouraged, settling comfortably into spot on the sofa beside the fireplace. So Frodo began his uncle's tale, reciting it from memory the best he could with only a few insertions here and there from his friend's. The story rang true more and more as they continued, and Morgan found images from her recent dreams surfacing to the forefront of her mind fitting in exactly with the details being unfolded before her. Most of all the picture of an old frail Hobbit holding a baby girl in his arms, placing _her_ necklace tenderly over her head, as he softly sang an enchanting song. The same song Frodo sang at the beginning of his story.

"That's amazing." Tricia breathed, once he finally ended.

"Yes," Gandalf agreed coming into the room. "And I happen to know for a fact that Bilbo kept Thorin's key and brought it home with him as a sort of souvenir. He gave it away to a newborn Hobbit lass he greatly admired. A birthday present of sorts." Morgan shot up from her seat and ran out of the room.

"Morgan!" Pippin called after her, though Sam beat him to rushing out of the room after her.

"Come on Pippin." Rosie encouraged, gently nudging him in the right direction.

Sam found Morgan huddled in a corner of one of the guest rooms, tears trailing down her cheeks. "What's wrong?" He asked, hurrying over to sit beside her.

"It's true!" She gasped between the tears. "It's all true!"

"What?" Sam asked not quite daring to hope he was hearing what he thought he was hearing.

"Everything! The stories, your past, Bilbo, the key, the little Hobbit lass. It's all true!" She turned to look him in the eyes, her eyes shimmering with happy tears. "I'm a Hobbit Sam! I'm a Hobbit!" She threw her arms around him, and the two cried together, relief and ecstatic happiness filling them at her newfound knowledge. Neither noticed Pippin and Rosie watching them from the doorway.

~jb~

Later that night, Rosie crept down the stairs to find Gandalf sitting at the kitchen table staring unseeing out the window. "Gandalf?"

"Yes child?" He said turning to glance at her. "What did you need?"

"I noticed something today that's been bothering me a little." She admitted coming to sit at the table beside him.

"Oh and what is that?"

"Sam…" She began, before allowing her voice to trail off as if unsure what to say.

"Yes, child?" He prodded.

"He's a twin, isn't he?"

Gandalf smiled knowingly at her. "Yes. Yes, he is."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Love Heals Everything

Tricia was glad it was closing night for Once Upon a Mattress. She had finished Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat before Halloween, and Fiddler on the Roof after Thanksgiving. Now all that was left was Once Upon a Mattress tonight, and the Lottery for spring.

This was it…this was her last night as Princess Winifred. Opening night, she nearly froze while singing _Happily Ever After. _She had forgotten the words, but instead of panicking she improvised and said; "Well, you know the story of Cinderella," and when she was comfortable again she remembered her words and continued to sing. No one really noticed, and those who had were quite pleased with Tricia's improvising. But the other nights went smoothly, and she had fun. Tonight, she gave it her best tapping, best acting, and best singing. This is when she felt at her best. She loved to sing to people.

When the show ended, Merry helped her down from the bed, and they waited while the rest of the cast bowed before they went out and took a bow themselves. The crowd cheered for her, and she felt warm inside. She had been waiting for this moment since sophomore year. She sighed and remembered what she really wanted to be; a singer.

~jb~

The girls in the dressing room were singing _Shy _at the top of their lungs. Tricia smiled and rolled her eyes at them. She noticed Morgan was twirling in her blue dress for the last time. Morgan had made an amazing recovery from her accident last week. She was glad she was able to recover before the musical theater class performed.

"There's going to be a party at my house tonight!" Lindsey announced. "There's going to be pizza, ice cream, candy, and Just Dance!"

"Yay!" Some girls shouted giddily. Lindsey walked up to Tricia.

"Tricia, are you coming?" She asked.

"Probably not," Tricia replied.

"Why not, are you busy?" Lindsey asked.

"No, it's just-"

"Then you should come!" Lindsey insisted. "James will be there!"

Tricia paused and looked over at Samantha, who nodded in approval.

"I would go myself if I hadn't had such a bad cold." Samantha said.

"And I've been getting headaches," Morgan said. "So I should go to bed."

"But we think you should go if James is going to be there," Samantha said. "I mean, you could finally introduce yourself and get to know him."

Tricia sighed and then turned to Lindsey.

"All right, I'll come," She said to Lindsey.

"Yay!" Lindsey said, and then turned to talk to another girl.

Tricia sighed, and remembered what Mr. White had said to her. _Be careful… _But she just shrugged and went to hang her costume up.

~jb~

At the party, Tricia found James with a large group of girls. Tricia had to admit; she hated parties. She would rather be at home, reading. She finally plucked up the courage to go talk to James. The boy seemed to be enjoying the pizza, as he inhaled his fifth slice. Teenage boys.

"Um…" Tricia gulped. "Hello…"

James turned and looked over at her. "Oh, hey, good job tonight, you were great." He turned to walk away.

"Wait," Tricia said. "Um… my name is Tricia."

"Oh, Tricia…that's how you pronounce it. My name is James." He shook her hand.

_He's touching my hand, he's touching my hand…_ Tricia smiled kindly at him.

"I looked at the bios to see if I could find my friend Whitney, and I found your name, I just couldn't figure out how to pronounce it." James said. "Whitney was the Nightingale, and she has the most beautiful voice."

"It is very pretty," Tricia agreed. "She's a first soprano in our class." Finally, she was having a conversation with James!

"Well, I'll see you later." James said. He walked away over to a group of giggling girls. Tricia went over to join in the Just Dance game. She wondered if James was watching her, and her amazing dancing. When she looked over at him, he was too busy talking to other girls. After the song, she went over to the snack table to eat some skittles. She could overhear him talking with a group of girls, including Whitney.

"You did great tonight." James said. "You would've been great as Winifred."

"Thanks," Whitney shrugged. "But I'm just a junior. Only seniors get leads, and Tricia deserved it."

"I wonder how she got the part anyways…" James mused. "I mean, don't popular seniors get the leads? …I've never even met Tricia before. She's not popular."

_That's what matters to you? _Tricia thought bitterly. She walked away, and if James noticed that she heard or not, she didn't know, nor cared.

It was a hard night, seeing James hang out with all the girls except for her. She should've known…she was invisible to him. What was the point? Ugh! Tricia decided if she wasn't having fun, she should leave.

It was icy cold outside. Utah, you've got to love it. She looked around and was glad her house wasn't that far. On the sidewalk, she slipped on some black ice. She leaned forward, forcing herself to fall onto her stomach. Instead, she hit her head on the sidewalk. She quickly sat up and felt her head. It was just a scab. She pulled her hand away and saw some blood. Okay…it was a bad scab.

"Trish?" Frodo asked, walking up to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Tricia replied. "Just a little scab."

Frodo helped her to her feet and linked her arm in his. "I'll walk you home."

"Thanks," Tricia said. She put her hand to her head to stop the bleeding. They walked down the street to the big house with the U-turn driveway. Tricia pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. She turned on the lights to her living room.

"Are Ruth and John home?" Frodo asked.

"Nope," Tricia replied. "They're out of town until Monday." She ran into the bathroom to find a face cloth. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Frodo waiting for her.

"Sit here," He patted the counter. Tricia did so as he took the cloth and rinsed it under cold water. He walked over and started washing away the blood. Her head had stopped bleeding.

"Tricia," Frodo asked uneasily. "Are you saying your…parents didn't come at all to see the show? Not…any of them?"

"Not once…" Tricia replied. "This year…" She trailed off, stopping herself from crying.

"Trish," Frodo said in a voice she wasn't used to. It was very soft and pleasant. "You're lonely, aren't you?"

Tricia didn't know how to answer. She wanted to tell him about her life, being moved from foster home to foster home until she was finally adopted, her inability to sit still, and learning that she was hard of hearing. How her adopted parents were always so busy and never had time for her. She wanted to pour her heart out to him, but the words wouldn't come. But he understood her when she began to cry. She jumped down from the counter and cried into his chest. He embraced her and rocked her back and forth. Eventually, he pulled back and held her face in his hands. Their foreheads were pressed together.

Frodo tilted his head slightly and kissed her. They stood for a moment before Frodo pulled back with a look of surprise on his face.

"The pain…" He said. "It's…gone."

Tricia looked at him curiously. Tears filled his eyes and he looked at her with much gratitude. His face never looked more peaceful. His blue eyes pierced her.

"Thank you," He said. "Thank you…" He kissed her again.

~jb~

Sauron sat in his desk, lost deep in thought. The hobbit was out and about, confident and yet unsure. Thanks to the scar the Ring Wraiths left, Sauron could sense the hobbit. He wasn't sure of his whereabouts, but he could sense his emotions as clear as crystal. Frodo's emotions were wild, intriguing, and mildly amusing. Most of the time he was sad and hurt, other times he was angry and lost his temper. But tonight he could sense a strange calm. It must have been the cold night air.

This was a rare occasion when Sauron could sense where Frodo was. He knew he was outside…with someone he cared about. He could sense strange, new emotions Frodo had not felt before, at least while carrying the Ring. There seemed to be a strong reaction…it was overpowering, and it nearly made Sauron fall out of his chair. His heart was beating at a rapid pace. He had to take a deep breath and remind himself that these feelings were not his own. What was the name for this feeling? What on earth was that hobbit up to?

Suddenly, the feeling stopped.

Frodo was lost to him.

The connection to the hobbit Sauron had was cut off.

"No…" Sauron paced around the office, breathing heavily. "No… it cannot be…" He remembered using a seeing stone to see the future. He discovered his greatest enemy was nothing but a small hobbit and a ranger from the north. He looked further into their future to see how he could make them suffer. The ranger's love would die if Sauron won, so that problem would've been solved. The hobbit was tricky, for he would suffer greatly at the hands of his host. The Ring would bring weight. But then he saw a young girl, healing him, and making him forget the pain, which would mean no more nightmares, no more headaches, no more loneliness, and no more suffering.

Back then, Sauron decided if he was going to lose, he'd make the hobbit suffer for it, and when the time was right, he worked to eliminate the girl who would heal him. He thought he had succeeded. But if he could no longer sense Frodo then…

"No!" Sauron flipped the desk over. "How can this be? How did she survive?" He sat back in his chair and sighed. How did she heal him anyway? Sauron thought hard about the feeling he had just before he was cut off. It was strong…it made him sweat…it caught him off guard. It was intense…

~jb~

Tricia was amazed how similar she and Frodo were. He gave her his background on how his parents died, and that he spent time at the Brandy Hall, which sounded like an orphanage to Tricia. It sure sounded better than the foster system. He was finally adopted by Bilbo and got a lot of pressure from annoying family members…Sackville-Bagginses…

Although they both had friends who loved, and cared for them dearly, neither had anyone to really love them, as parents or…

Tricia finally pulled her lips away. Frodo still had his arms wrapped around her. They just stood in the kitchen. Frodo looked at the clock and gasped.

"It's 1:00!" He said.

"It is...?" Tricia blinked. "How long have we been standing here…making out?" Tricia scratched her head.

"Gandalf's going to kill me!" Frodo rushed to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow…" Tricia giggled.

"Right," Frodo blushed. "Well, I hope to see you soon." He opened the door.

"Frodo," Tricia said. He paused and looked back at her. "I…" She hesitated. "I love you…"

Frodo stood in the doorway for a minute before he finally said. "I love you too."

**EEEP! Finally. Hope you enjoyed. **


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Confusion

Ruby Pool

It was the Friday after closing night for _Once Upon A Mattress _and the girls were all attending a slumber party at Tricia's house in a sort of apologetic late congratulation gift from her parents. Morgan's parents had stubbornly not allowed their daughter to sleep over, though they had agreed to a late night. The girls spent the first couple of hours singing karaoke, playing charades, eating pizza, before Samantha insisted it was time to play Truth or Dare.

Rosie appeared to be only the tiniest bit confused as the others did their best to explain the rules of the game and she was more than eager to try it out. "Alright your turn first Samantha." Tricia said smiling eagerly at her eager friend. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare of course." Samantha replied unable to contain her excitement.

"Figured." Tricia laughed. "That's what you always pick."

"It's because their more exciting than truth's." She explained non-chalantly. "Besides I'm not afraid. So give me your worst."

"Okay," Tricia said with an exaggeratedly evil smile. "But remember, you asked for it. I dare you to greet everyone 'Hi, I'm Dr. Marshmallow' for the next 24 hours. Or at least until the Orchestra concert tomorrow night."

"Far too easy Tricia, dear." Samantha sang out with confidence, before turning to Morgan who was sitting on her left. "Hi I'm Dr. Marshmallow", and proceeded to do so with the rest of the group until they were all giggling like crazy. "Your turn Rosie, truth or dare?"

"Hmm…" The young Hobbit lass appeared to be pondering the question with great effort. "Dare. Why not? It looks fun."

"It is." Samantha assured her. "Now I dare you to…." She thought about it for a moment. "Kiss the next boy you see."

Rosie immediately turned the brightest shade of red any of the girls had ever seen before in their entire lives. "For your sake Samantha, you'd best pray that boy is Sam or I might have to do something drastic." They burst out laughing even harder than before.

"Don't worry Rosie, I'll make sure of it." She assured with a mischievous wink, and they lost it once again. "Although after being Lady Larken in _Once Upon A Mattress_ I must attest Pippin is a pretty good kisser as well." Morgan could feel her own cheeks growing pink at the mention of this carefully turning her face away before any of her friends could notice. Not that Samantha and Tricia were paying her any attention at the moment, but Rosie's eyes twinkled with a knowing smile.

"Tricia's turn." Rosie said once the giggles had died down enough for her to speak. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth!" She managed to breathe out, resulting in a 'boo' from Samantha. "Hey, what can I say? I'm a chicken when it comes to this game. I like to play things safe."

"That's all right Trish." Rosie assured her. "I've got a question I've been meaning to ask you all week anyway. You and Frodo have seemed awfully happy ever since closing night, especially when you're together. Is there any particular reason for that?"

Now it was Tricia's turn to blush bright red. "Well, um, yes actually but…"

"EEEEEP!" All of the girls squealed rising to their feet and jumping up and down excitedly. "We knew it! We knew it! Tell us everything!" So Tricia was implored to recount her evening after closing night, including every meticulous detail once Frodo showed up. The girls all gave cheers of joy as they all raced up to give their friend huge congratulatory hugs.

"I knew you two were perfect for each other!" Rosie insisted, when it was her turn. "Frodo's just been so… different with you around. A good different. You've been good for him. Thank you."

"I assure you, he's been good for me too." Tricia replied, and Morgan wondered at the joy and love shining from her eyes. She questioned whether she could ever feel such a way herself. Then thoughts of Pippin and Josh began to cloud her mind, and she forced herself to redirect her attention. "You're turn Morgan. Truth or dare?"

"Definitely truth." Morgan replied, smiling at the distraction. "I'm probably the biggest chicken when it comes to this game."

"Oh, you guys are just no fun." Samantha teased lightly, leaning back against the couch and grabbing a handful of M&amp;M's.

"I don't know. Tricia's truth was pretty interesting. And I'm sure she can come up with an interesting question." Rosie pointed out.

"Of course I can." Trish agreed grinning mischievously, turning to face her now slightly nervous friend. "In fact I think I already have. Are you in love with anyone? And if so who?"

"Dare!" Morgan shouted, her stomach plummeting and her face absolutely bursting into flame at the question. So much for playing it safe.

"Well that's an obvious yes." Samantha said grinning. "But we all know who with. Josh." She finished even as Rosie joined in, "Pippin."

"Pippin?" Tricia and Samantha asked completely taken aback by the very suggestion.

"But… Morgan's liked Josh since Sophomore year. At least, I thought you did…" Samantha hedged eyeing her friend with new found interest.

"I did. I do." Morgan stammered, shaking her head with embarrassment. "Of course I like Josh, but… I kind of like Pippin too."

"WHAT?!" Tricia and Samantha yelled leaping to their feet in stunned confusion.

"I knew it!" Rosie squealed clapping her hands with delight at the confession.

"When did this happen?" Samantha demanded, outraged to have been left out of the loop on such an important issue. "I mean, I knew he liked you, but I never dreamed…"

"He what?" Morgan asked eyes wide at the insinuation, even as Tricia said, "I think it's cute."

"Sure it's cute." Samantha agreed. "But what's she going to do about Josh now? She finally wins his interest and then she falls for another boy? Wow."

"I haven't won anything from Josh." Morgan protested growing more and more uncomfortable as the conversation went on. "We're just friends."

"Talk about denial!" Samantha laughed, shaking her head. "It's so obvious you two like each other. Anyone can see it!"

"Although looking back, you have been spending a lot of time with Pippin lately." Tricia mused as the shock began to wear off.

"Something he seems to quite enjoy." Samantha teased.

"That doesn't mean anything!" Morgan protested as the girls started laughing again. "I've been spending a lot of time with Sam lately too, but I swear there's nothing going on between us."

"That's different." Rosie assured her. "You and Sam act more like best friends or siblings or something. But the attraction between you and Pippin…."

"Can we just stop talking about this?" Morgan asked burying her face in her hands. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Sorry dear, but we are far from done with you." Samantha replied wrapping her arm around the nearly distraught girl. "Have you told either of these fine boys where you stand yet?"

"No, and I don't plan too." She replied firmly, shoving Samantha's arm off her shoulder.

"But you must!" All the girls insisted at once.

"They deserve to know." Tricia pointed out as gently as possible, desiring to help her friend but not wanting to push her too hard at the same time.

"Why? It won't change anything." Morgan protested. "I like both of them. I have no idea who to choose and I don't want to string either one of them along, if they really do like me the way you say they do."

"Of course they do! Didn't you see the way they fought over who was the 'real' Kristoff on the sledding trip?" Samantha shrewdly pointed out, before a realization hit her. "You never did vote on either of them did you?"

"No one did." Morgan pointed out.

"Would you have even if we did?"

"I don't know." She admitted. "I don't know how I could've."

"I still think they deserve to know where they stand. After all, whether you tell them or not you're still going to be stringing them along. They might as well know the truth." Tricia insisted.

"She's right Morgan. It's only fair." Rosie agreed, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to commit to either one. Just tell them exactly how you feel; about both of them."

"Maybe…" Morgan finally relented reluctantly. "I'll think about it anyway. It's your turn again Samantha. Truth or dare?"

They went through one more round before Morgan's older brother came to pick her up. After Samantha licked a tree, Rosie confessed to pranking her brother Nibs as a child, Tricia ran outside and professed her love for Frodo Baggins to the entire world, and Morgan firmly 'agreed' to talk to both Josh and Pippin after the concert the next day (she'd chosen a dare that time thinking it might be less dangerous after all; she was wrong) of course. And Morgan found she'd never been more nervous for a concert in her entire life.

~jb~

Samantha kept her promise to make sure the first boy Rosie saw was Sam. She drove with Samantha in her truck, a bandana tied over her eyes as a makeshift blindfold. "It's a good thing I can trust you, otherwise this would be a very uncomfortable arrangement." Rosie commented, even as Samantha took a playful hairpin curve. The poor hobbit lass was gripping at both sides of her seat with all of her might, gritting her teeth to hold back a whimper, or perhaps even a tiny scream. Samantha laughed at the sight.

"Don't worry Rosie dear. I'll get you home safely. Tricia would kill me otherwise." They arrived at the house moments later, at which point Rosie found herself being led very carefully up the drive, and listening to Samantha knock briskly upon the door. "Hey Pip. Is Sam home?"

Rosie breathed a sigh of relief, never more thankful for this stupid blindfold (to which she had protested against quite strongly when the idea was first suggested) than at that moment. "Yes, he's here. Why does Rosie have that cloth over her eyes?"

"No reason. Could you get him for me please?" Samantha replied smoothly, not missing a single beat.

"All right." He agreed, still sounding suspicious. "One moment please." Rosie could hear his bare feet padding along the hallway as he raced to fetch the other hobbit. She waited with agonized anticipation until she finally heard someone running as fast as they could toward the door.

"Rosie! What's wrong?" She ripped off the stupid blindfold and glimpsing Sam's beautiful face threw herself into his arms and kissed him quickly on the mouth. Samantha cheered and Pippin whistled good naturedly as Sam kissed her in return, finally pulling back breathless his face flushed with confusion and delight. "Well, it's nice to see you too."

"It was a dare." Rosie explained, shrugging as her own cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. What was it with people and blushing lately? It was as if they'd all caught spring fever, and in the middle of winter at that. "Part of a game we played last night. Speaking of which I need to talk to you Pippin. Now." She reached out and took the surprised boy by the arm, and with one last goodbye to Samantha, dragged him into the guest room.

"What is this all about Rosie? You're acting really weird." Pippin commented after she'd closed the door behind them. "Is this what slumber parties do to all girls? No wonder Morgan's parents are usually against them."

"Would you be quiet and listen. I need to talk to you about something important." Rosie insisted earnestly.

"All right, what?" He asked, sighing in exasperation at Rosie's strange behavior.

"How do you feel about Miss Morgan Kennedy?" She asked grinning knowingly at him. Pippin felt his heart begin to pound within his chest, and a rush of warmth through his entire body.

"She's a nice enough girl. Why?" He asked, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Oh come on Pip. How do you _feel_ about her? Really?" She pressed, not convinced in the slightest.

"I don't know." He shrugged, turning away and beginning to pace the room. "She's beautiful, smart, kind, playful, responsible, loving, protective, adventurous, talented, and everything else I could ever hope for. Whenever she's around I just want to be near her, to talk to her, try to get to know her better. Let her get to know me." He stopped and finally faced her straight on. "I like her Rosie. Is that what you want to hear? I really, really like her. I might even be falling in love with her."

"Perfect!" She squealed eagerly. "I thought so. Oh this is so wonderful Pip! Absolutely wonderful!"

"And would you like to tell me why my falling in love is so wonderful to you?" Pippin asked curiously.

"Because I happen to have a pretty good hunch she feels the same way about you. Perhaps even more than a hunch." She admitted, blue eyes absolutely sparkling. Pippin couldn't breathe. Could it be true? Could Morgan truly ever come to see him, the way he was beginning to see her?

"How…? When…?" He stammered, unable or perhaps unwilling to comprehend.

"Let's just say, the subject may have come up in the little game we played last night. Either way, I can't talk to you about it; but you should talk to her." She suggested coyly. "After the concert tomorrow. Promise me you'll talk to her. Promise?"

He thought about it for one moment, taking in all of the possibilities. What if Rosie was wrong? What if Morgan didn't care about him the way she did? What if he just made things awkward between them? What if she was in love with Josh? But what if she was right? What if this was his chance? "All right, Rosie. I promise."

~jb~

The concert was the absolute best performance of Morgan's life. Concert Orchestra wowed the audience with their impressive progress and ingenuity as they played out each of their songs with all of their heart and soul. Chamber orchestra pulled off each of their pieces without a hitch, and Samantha's bass solo was absolutely magnificent. Then, the highlight of the entire night, Sam and Morgan's duet of the piece she had composed herself; perfected at last.

The audience was left absolutely speechless, completely in awe at the beautiful ethereal tune. One like they had never heard before in all of Earth's history. The standing ovation lasted at least five minutes, and Morgan couldn't remember feeling so wonderful in her entire life. Especially to be sharing such a moment with someone she considered to be one of her new best friends. The only thing that could ruin the night was the memory of the dare and what she still needed to do.

"That was amazing!" Sam exclaimed while the two hugged excitedly after the whole performance was over. "You were perfect!"

"Thanks Sam, but I think you were the one who really sold it. You certainly have developed a gift with that cello." He humbly lowered his head at the compliment, pulling back and giving her one last excited grin before excusing himself to go find the others. Morgan insisted on staying behind for a bit, allowing herself to soak up the moment, not wanting to ever forget it.

Her eyes were closed, taking in all of the emotions coursing through her, when she heard that miserable voice from behind her. "You were magnificent up there. But then again you always were."

"Nico!" She gasped, turning to face the dreaded phantom of her past suddenly feeling violently ill at his appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize." He replied simply, to her surprise. "I know I didn't treat you the way you would've liked, and I'm sorry about that."

"Thank you, Nico. I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but it's in the past and I'd prefer to keep it that way." She forced a nonchalant smile, praying desperately this was all he'd come for.

"But Morgan, you don't understand!" He insisted dashing all her hopes. "I want you back. I've missed you so much, and come to realize I can't live without you. I truly am sorry about everything. Please Morgan."

She struggled to maintain her composure, forcing herself not to relive the past, but rather focus on all she had gained since then and her determination to never go back. "Nico, I'm sorry but I can't."

"And why not?" He demanded, his tone beginning to lose its soothing sweetness.

"I've moved on Nico." She told him simply, gaining confidence with every word. "I don't care for you that way anymore. You were right when you said you never treated me well, and the more time passes by the more I realize we're better off without one another. I'm sorry."

"I didn't say I didn't treat you well." He protested. "I said I didn't treat the way you would've liked. I'm sorry you always had such high expectations. I never could please you, but I promise I'll try harder. Just take me back."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he being serious? "Nico, what are you talking about? You never tried to please me. And I never cared! I was too busy wracking my brains for ways I could try to please _you_! But it was never enough. I did everything I could think of and still it wasn't enough. _I_ wasn't enough. And whatever you might be thinking right now, I know I still wouldn't be enough to ever make you truly happy. I don't want to go through that again Nico. Ever."

"You are so full of it you know?!" Now he was yelling, all pretense of loving heartbroken boy gone, the personification of rage and hatred standing in its place. "You always have been. I treated you like a Queen, even when you were acting like nothing more than a spoiled brat. Doing whatever you please, flirting with all the boys, playing your stupid precious violin! Everything but give me the attention I needed. The attention I deserved!"

"I never flirted with anyone while we were dating. I never even paid attention to other boys when we were together. On the other hand, I distinctly remember you being very friendly with the girls in your biology class." She defended herself hotly, just as he reached forward to slap her face.

"How dare you accuse me?" He howled, before seeing the horror written plainly on her face, and realizing what he'd done. "Morgan, I'm so sorry."

"Goodbye Nico." She said firmly, taking deep breaths to keep her pulse at a normal pace as she struggled to walk past him and off the empty stage.

"Get back here you little witch!" He lunged for her, and she broke into a desperate run. She caught sight of Pippin as he stepped onto the darkened stage carrying a bouquet of roses, and threw herself into his arms.

"Pippin!" She cried, clinging desperately to him as he tentatively returned the embrace.

"What's going on? Who is this?" He asked gesturing to where Nico was now calmly approaching the two of them, a friendly grin on his face.

"Hello there. My name's Nico Bastida's. Morgan's boyfriend." He introduced himself holding out his hand to shake.

"Ex-boyfriend." She corrected glaring at him.

"You had a boyfriend?" Pip asked, eyes flicking back and forth between the two.

"Sadly, yes." Morgan admitted, pulling herself reluctantly out of his protective arms and lowering her head in shame. "During sophomore year. I was young and naive Pippin. A total idiot. And I've regretted it ever since."

"Hurtful." Nico muttered, as if he honestly cared.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" Pippin demanded, sounding genuinely hurt by the revelation.

"Yes, why didn't you tell him?" Nico prodded, and though his face was still perfectly composed, she could hear the sneer in his voice.

"Because frankly, it's not a time in my life I like to relive or recount. I'd much rather move on and try to forget." She explained simply, unsure what else she could say.

"But you can't do that can you? Face it Morgan you'll always be mine." Nico informed her, taking one more step in her direction.

"On the contrary Nico. I'll never be yours." She replied taking her own step back, and placing her hand firmly in the crook of Pippin's arm. "Come on Pip. Let's go find the others."

"Oh I see. So you've moved on with this fellow, huh? Is he your new boyfriend?" Nico spat the word as if it were a curse.

"He's my friend." Morgan corrected, thinking this was probably not the best moment to have that particular conversation with Pippin. "A better one than you ever were."

"But you like him don't you?"

"I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"Very clever." Nico laughed. "Neither a confession nor a denial. Yes, she always was the sly one. The enchantress as I liked to call her. I'd be careful if I were you Pip. She'll make you think she's crazy about you one second and the next, you find her kissing another boy behind your back. That's what happened to us."

Morgan simply gaped at him for a moment, unable to believe her ears. "You little liar!"

"She what?" Pippin's voice was barely above a whisper, and she turned to see his face had gone pale, his normally sparkling green eyes hollow.

"You heard me. One moment everything was fine, the next I catch her with that idiot dancer boy." Nico lied, shaking his head in disgust at her supposed deeds. "What was his name?"

"Pippin, don't listen to him." She insisted, squeezing his hand gently, trying desperately to get him to look at her. But he wouldn't. He just kept staring at Nico, who was putting on the performance of his life.

"Josh?"

"Yeah, that was his name." Nico agreed slyly. "Josh Byrd. The one and only."

"He's lying!" Morgan insisted, simultaneously wanting to fall apart inside and slap Nico for saying such things. Then Pippin turned to look at her, and the hollow confusion and distrust in his eyes nearly brought the tears to the surface.

"You told me you've never kissed anyone." He whispered, though it was almost an accusation. "You said you were saving your first kiss for someone you really loved." The conversation had come up during the kissing scenes in _Fiddler on the Roof_. She'd insisted on making them stage kisses, in order to keep her vow to herself; and while their drama teacher had agreed without any explanation she'd felt like she owed it to Pippin. And she'd never regretted taking him into her confidence; until this moment.

"I am. I haven't." She insisted desperately. "You have to believe me Pippin. I would never lie to you."

"Yet you never told me about him? What am I supposed to think now Morgan?" He snapped firmly pulling away from her, and taking a step back as if she had some contagious disease. "How am I supposed to know you're telling me the truth?"

"Because I care about you!" She shouted with all the mix of emotion building up inside her. "I care about you Pippin. A lot. And I promise I would never lie to you? Don't you trust me? Don't you know me?"

"I thought I did." He muttered, lowering his head so their eyes no longer met.

"I did too kid. I did too." Nico sympathized, coming over to put a reassuring hand on Pip's shoulder. He didn't shrink away. "Looks like we were both wrong."

"Shut up!" She hissed at him through gritted teeth.

"Sorry Morgan dearest, but the kid deserves to know the truth." He said, walking confidently up to her, knowing she could no longer count on Pippin to come to her aid and whispered menacingly in her ear. "I warned you not to let me go, that you'd never find anything better. You should've listened."

"Maybe you're right." Pippin muttered drawing back both of their attention.

"No! He's not!" Morgan insisted, shoving Nico from her and running to the poor confused Hobbits side, once again trying to take his hand. He pulled back. "Please Pippin if you would just listen to me."

"I did listen to you Morgan!" He shouted, voice filled with tension, confusion, and worst of all anger. Anger at her. For something she didn't do. "And look where that got me? I'm sorry, but I'm tired of playing the fool. If that's all I'm going to be to you, then I'm not interested. "

She took a step back, a single tear escaping her eye and trailing down her cheek as she fought to catch her breath. "Pippin." She whispered, pleaded; but he refused to look at her, to listen to her. "Perhaps you're right. You don't know me at all."

"What's going on Pip? Who's this?" Merry asked, as he and the rest of their gang including Josh came onto the stage and began to eye Nico suspiciously.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Sam asked immediately noticing the pain and distress in her countenance.

"This is Morgan's ex-boyfriend." Pippin introduced, gesturing to a solemn Nico. "He's been enlightening me about their previous relationship."

"Is he now?" Josh asked through gritted teeth, recognizing the brute who only glared at him in return.

"Yes, and I'm afraid we may have misjudged her. Or at least I did." Pippin muttered bitterly.

"Pippin!" All of the Hobbits cried out, eyes wide with alarm.

"What are you talking about Cheerios?" Josh demanded.

"It's all right Josh. You don't have to pretend anymore. I know all about you two." Pippin accused, lifting his gaze to glare at her. "You deserve each other."

"You think you have everything figured out don't you Pip. That you know everything." She snapped, unable to bear his anger or disgust for another moment; wanting to wound him the way he'd already wounded her. "Well then tell me this: why do you even care?"

"I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't." He muttered, his gaze now on the bouquet in his hands, before letting them drop to the ground. Morgan bit back a sob and raced out of the room.

"You really are an idiot." Josh growled, prying his eyes away from Morgan's poor trembling form and shooting daggers at the impertinent hobbit who had made her cry.

"A fool of a Took." Sam agreed just as protectively.

"Hey don't go blaming me, I'm just trying to figure things out here." Pippin tried to defend himself.

"And you're doing a splendid job of it too. Listening to this jerk," Josh gestured to Nico. "Lie through his teeth, and not giving her the chance to defend herself. Why would you believe this bum anyway? A guy you haven't even met."

"I was just trying to help him out Josh. Keep him from falling into the same trap I did. I could do the same for you if you let me…" Nico began, before Josh whirled on him hands clenched into fists.

"You shut up! You've done nothing but ruin Morgan's life from the moment you stepped into it. You don't deserve her, never did, never will! But you were always so focused on your own stupid self to realize or care. If you weren't so pathetic I'd beat you into the bloody pulp you are." He threatened, causing Nico to shrink and cower in a corner like the coward he was.

"Do you want to know the real reason they broke up, Pip? Nico abused her. Treated her worse than the dirt beneath her shoe. Always finding little things to criticize, calling her every filthy name in the book, telling her she wasn't worth anything at all. That she was lucky to have him, because no one else would take on such a pitiful piece of trash.

"And she believed him. She believed him Pippin! For the longest time she really thought he was right to treat her that way, that she deserved to be yelled at and threatened and reminded of her every imagined fault. It makes me sick to even think about it."

"What happened?" Pippin asked, looking sicker than he had before, his voice barely above a whisper.

"One day she finally woke up. She realized she was worth more, she deserved more. And she was right. And I for one am not about to let anyone regard her as anything less ever again. That includes you Cheerios." Josh said meaningfully, before turning to leave the room and follow Morgan. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"I think that's my cue to exit as well. Nice meeting all of you." Nico muttered quietly, creeping toward the door before bursting into an all-out run.

"You little rat!" Sam shouted, darting after him.

"Sam!" Tricia and Rosie cried out in alarm, before taking off after the enraged protective Hobbit.

"What do you have to say for yourself Pip?" Frodo asked, arms folded as he, Merry, and especially Samantha glared at him sternly.

"Gandalf was right. I really am a fool of a Took." Pip replied, hanging his head in shame and regret.

"Agreed." Samantha nodded. "And just what are you going to do about it?"

"The only thing I can." He said, clenching his fists in determination. "Find Morgan and apologize."

~jb~

Morgan sat in a dark corner in the orchestra room, not caring that her best senior friend last year had grounded her explicitly from doing so (it's a long story), burying her face in her hands as her body was wracked with soul wrenching sobs. "Morgan." A soft voice called out to her, and she looked up immediately afraid that she would find Ms. Bea standing there and have to explain the whole thing, but instead it was Josh. "Morgan." He breathed again his sparkling blue eyes filled with pain on her behalf, and in the next moment he was there, cradling her gently in her arms as she continued to cry into his chest. "It's alright Morgan, he's gone now. He can't hurt you anymore. I won't let him."

"He already has!" She spat out as she choked on yet another sob. "He already hurt me! He destroyed me and now I'll never be whole again." He waited in silence as she wept for another few minutes before continuing. "I can hear his voice in my head Josh. Every nasty word he said to me, every despicable name. Every time I look in the mirror I can feel myself shudder because in my eyes I can see his disappointment still reflecting back at me, and I have to wonder if he was right. If I am some ugly nonentity that no one wants."

"Of course not! You've never been that Morgan. You're special." He argued, and in her head she could hear Sam whispering, you're a hobbit. But thinking of Sam and hobbits only reminded her of the worst thing of all. Nico's final act of cruelty meant to destroy her once and for all.

"He took him away from me." She whimpered, biting her lip to keep from screaming. Letting out her own dying breath. "He stole Pippin."

"No he didn't." Josh said unconvincingly.

"But he believed him. After everything we've been through he believed him! And now he hates me."

"No he doesn't." This came more convincingly. "He's just really mad and frustrated right now. He never knew anything about Nico so the whole situation's caught him off guard. Plus I think he's feeling a little insecure right now. I know I am." This last as a whisper.

She looked up at him, confused by the depth of the tenderness in those crystal blue eyes. "Insecure? But why?"

"Because of you." He whispered, voice becoming a little more shaky. "Oh Morgan, don't you know how I feel about you?" He paused, as if waiting for a response but she couldn't give it. He heart was beating too hard in her chest. "Morgan, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"I…" She trailed off as she gazed deeply into his eyes, as the moment she'd been dreaming of for the past few years came true before her very eyes. And yet, she could not reach out and fully accept this gift being given to her. A few months ago the question would've been so simple. She could've said that she loved him in a heartbeat and this could be the best moment of her life. But so much had happened since then: namely Frodo, Merry, Rosie, Sam and Pippin. Most of all Pippin. "I care about you Josh. More than I can say." She whispered and she saw a bit of hopeful light spark into his eyes, and she guiltily forced herself to crush it. "But I'm afraid it's not enough. In spite of everything I still care about Pippin as well. I think I may even be falling in love with him. With both of you. I hate myself for it. For putting you through this. Both of you. Perhaps Pippin and Nico were right about me." This last came out a whisper as one last tear spilled down her cheek and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"No they weren't." He insisted, gently reaching out to wipe away the stray tear. "I knew you were developing feelings for Pippin. And his feelings for you were impossible for me to miss. Probably the reason I've been such a jerk around him and his friends lately. I'm not mad about it, at least not at you. I know you're going to need time to sort through your emotions and I'm okay with that. I just wanted you to know where I stand until that point. To let you know, no matter what happens I'll always be here for you as your friend. I love you Morgan Kennedy." With that he slowly rose to his feet pulling her up along with him, causing her to give him a strange look until he began to gently waltz her around the room, as they had done many times over the years. She gave him a tiny smile and fell in step with him, feeling all of her cares fade away in this one precious moment.

For an instant it was as if she were transported back to Sophomore year. Nico had just left her after a screaming fit of rage where he had threatened to break her violin because she loved it more than him. It was one of those moments where she could see the insane hatred fill his eyes, felt the cruelness of his words cut into her like a knife. She'd huddled in the corner of the Orchestra room that night too, until he appeared from behind Ms. Bea's desk, revealing that he'd accidentally witnessed the whole exchange. He'd said much the same thing to her that night as well, telling her she deserved better, that she should fight to get it. And then he had danced with her. Not a romantic dance, but that of a friend. It was just the thing she'd needed to give her the courage to break up with Nico once and for all. She could never repay him for that.

"Morgan?" He asked tentatively and she could hear a tremor of nervousness in his voice.

"Yes…" She asked curious by his tone.

"Will you go with me to the Christmas ball?" She regarded him silently for several moments as she went over the idea in her mind. She was afraid it wouldn't be fair to Pippin, but at the same time Josh had been there for her for as long as she could remember. He was the one who had helped her survive the whole Nico fiasco, the one who was still helping her survive. And if nothing else she hoped that they would always be dear friends in the future, though a part of her hoped for something more.

"Yes, Josh. Of course I'll go with you." His smile was so bright it could've rivaled the sun as he picked her up and spun her around.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The Christmas Ball

"Wait…he did _what?_" Tricia demanded. She, Frodo, Rosie, Samantha, Josh, and Morgan were gathered in the hallway. Morgan decided to fill in the details to her friends.

"Yes," Morgan said, sighing in sadness. "I'm sorry I never told you guys."

"I feel terrible…" Samantha said. "I can't believe I never knew…"

"I understand." Frodo said. "You didn't want to reawaken old feelings…" The two shared a knowing glance before Morgan continued.

"Exactly…" Morgan hesitated. "Tricia…I hope you're not mad at me."

"Mad at you?" Tricia raised an eyebrow. "I'm mad at this _Nico_! I'm going to have a stern talk with him! Where is he? Let me at'im!"

"Tricia, calm down!" Frodo said, grasping her shoulders. "He's gone, Josh probably scared him off."

"Or Sam," Josh said, pointing over at the hobbit. Sam and Nico were behind them, caught in a fight. Sam pushed Nico to the ground. Nico quickly stood up before Sam could punch him. The two circled each other like wolves fighting over prey. Tricia ran over and stood between Sam and Nico.

"Sam," Tricia said. "Sam, I'll handle this." She turned to Nico. "So, you're…_Nico_…" She nearly gagged saying his name.

"I don't believe I've met you before." Nico said.

"Fortunately for you, no." Tricia agreed. "But Morgan is one of my best friends, and I don't like it when people pick on my friends." Frodo nodded in approval as Tricia began to walk away. But then the girl turned around and ran her fist into Nico's face, giving him a bloody nose.

"Tricia!" Frodo shouted, running over and holding her back before she could do any more damage. "What happened to the stern talk?"

"I did talk to him…" Tricia said. "I lost my temper…now let me at'im!" Nico stood up and ran away.

"Oh, Tricia…" Morgan sighed.

If you asked Sam, he would've said he was pleased with the girl he thought was his twin. Now he was sure that Tricia was his twin. Sam often had a temper, snapping at Faramir and Gollum, and now Nico. Yep, there was no question about it now; Tricia was his twin.

"So, Merry," Samantha said. "Do you know where Pippin went?"

"He's looking for Morgan." Merry said.

"Why aren't you helping him?" Rosie asked.

"Because…" Merry hesitated. "Morgan deserves better."

Samantha seemed to look at him eagerly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Merry insisted. "You did a great job tonight, by the way….I'd better go find Pippin."

"See you later." Rosie said as she and Sam left.

"I better get home too." Samantha said. "Sam, Rosie, wait up! I can give you a ride."

"Well," Josh sighed. "Are you going to the Christmas Ball, Frodo?"

"I've never been to one…" Frodo admitted. "Are you going?"

"Yes," Josh said. "Morgan and I."

"Oh," Frodo mused. "A date."

"Yep…" Josh said.

"Yeah, and my parents prefer I go on group dates." Morgan admitted. "Hey, Trish, do you think we could double?"

"If Frodo's up to it, then yes, of course!" Tricia said, but she still seemed upset.

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked.

"I'm…not…" Tricia sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Morgan it's just that…it's things like this that make me wish I knew you sophomore year."

"I know…" Morgan sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Tricia said. "So, Frodo, will you go to the Christmas Ball with me?"

"Yes," Frodo said. "I will."

~jb~

Morgan and Tricia were able to get Rosie to come with Sam to the Ball. Tricia spoke with Samantha about it and teased her about needing a date, so she asked some random guy named Dylan.

"What?" Tricia gasped, expecting she would have asked Merry. "Why Dylan?"

"Because he asked me," Samantha said.

"I thought you would be going with Merry…" Tricia said cautiously.

"Just because you and Frodo are dating and Morgan and Pippin are…well…almost in love doesn't mean that I love Merry." Samantha snapped.

"What?" Tricia's eyes widened.

"Uh," Samantha blushed. "You know what I meant."

"You like him, don't you?" Tricia said.

"Yes," Samantha hung her head. "I really do…"

"Then why didn't you ask him?" Tricia said.

"Well," Samantha lifted her head. "For one thing, he's a hobbit… and he shorter than me…" Samantha paused when she noticed Tricia rolling her eyes. "And he doesn't even really notice me…I mean…"

"So _you _asked Dylan to make Merry jealous." Tricia said.

"Uh," Samantha hesitated. "Yep,"

"Why?" Tricia asked.

"Because," Samantha said. "I want to test him and see if he really does feel the same way."

"Well," Tricia sighed. "If you come with my group, I won't stop you."

Tricia remembered Merry and Pippin. What was Pippin going to do? Tricia felt bad and decided he needed a date. She then remembered a friend who had just turned sixteen. She convinced her friend Shyanne to go with Pippin. She felt like the worst match-maker ever. If you asked her, she would have preferred Morgan and Pippin together, despite the fact that he steps on your toes during ballroom.

And Merry? Tricia didn't want him to feel left out. She convinced him to ask her friend Katherine. Now everyone had a date.

The girls had gone shopping for dresses. They spent a whole day, doing each other's hair and make-up. Tricia took the flat iron to Morgan's hair. She looked like an entirely different person.

The morning of the Winter Ball, Tricia woke up to find her hair very messy. She went into the bathroom to brush it. Once she had finished, she noticed something odd and leaned in the mirror to have a closer look. There was something strange going on…

Curls.

Her hair was starting to curl.

Tricia brushed her hair more to see if she could calm the curls down, but it kept getting worse. She sighed in frustration, but then found she liked her hair. They were only soft curls, so she kept it that way.

~jb~

"Tricia!" Samantha greeted her when she got to the school. "I love what you've done with your hair!"

"How did you do that?" Morgan asked.

"I'm not sure…" Tricia admitted. "I just… woke up like this…"

"It's perfect!" Rosie said as the hobbits came to greet them. "It looks a lot like mine!"

"What?" Tricia asked, feeling her hair, only to realize the curls were getting worse. "That's odd…"

"Your hair looks great!" Frodo said. Tricia smiled and all worry had left her. If Frodo said he loved her hair, then there was nothing to worry about…right?

Shyanne, Josh, and Katherine had finally arrived. Tricia felt even worse when she noticed that Shyanne and Pippin were the same height… and Tricia used to tease her about being short…

"Well," Tricia said. "This is my neighbor, and my friend, Shyanne."

"Hello." Morgan said.

"Hi," Shyanne replied. "You're all older than me…this is weird."

"Don't worry," Samantha said. "We don't bite."

"That doesn't help," Tricia and Shyanne said in a union, and they both giggled.

"And this is my friend, Katherine." Tricia introduced the other girl. "She's a senior."

"And this is Dylan," Samantha said, introducing her date. "Let's get going!"

~jb~

The day activity included getting pictures done at the park, making gingerbread houses…or decorating them, and playing Wii Sports. Later, they went to eat dinner with their wrists tied together. They were all right handed, thank goodness for that. But Tricia kept pulling away Merry's wrist whenever he had his fork up to his lips.

Finally, it was time to get ready for the dance. The girls all got ready at Tricia's house, helping with each other's hair and make-up once again.

Tricia's dress was light pink with silver accents. Morgan's dress was a light, sky blue with a black ribbon belt, and ruffles. Samantha's dress was a deep purple with silver accents and ruffles as well. Rosie's dress was a blue-green, and Shyanne's dress was very 50's styled. Her dress was dark blue, with short sleeves and a puffy skirt. It was very lacy and had a beige ribbon tied around the waist. Katherine's was red and went a little past her knees.

At the dance, each couple was different. Sam and Rosie were used to dancing together, and had fun as always. Merry however, felt uneasy being with Katherine, and watching Samantha. Pippin seemed unhappy with Shyanne, and of course, stepped on her feet frequently. But luckily for him, the dance lessons Morgan gave him were somewhat paying off. Samantha had fun with Dylan. She picked a good date, and noticed how much Merry looked over at her. Morgan and Josh had a great time, glad to be dancing together happily. Frodo and Tricia could not have asked for anything better. This was their first official date as a couple, and they were both excited.

The slow dances were either the best part, or the worst part, depending who you asked. Sam looked over toward his twin and noticed she and Frodo were dancing closely… this made him feel uneasy.

"Rosie…" Sam said. "Have you noticed those two?" He gestured over to Frodo and Tricia.

"Yes," Rosie replied. "Why?"

"Well…I'm not sure I like that…" Sam admitted. His master had his arm wrapped tightly around Tricia…he kissed her…his master kissed his twin sister…

Sam rushed over and pushed Frodo away from Tricia.

"Sam," Frodo demanded. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Frodo," Sam replied. "But I can't stand by and watch you do this."

"Do what?"

"Kiss Tricia, that's what!" Sam snapped.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Tricia asked. "What's wrong with that?"

"Sam," Frodo said. "You don't need to protect me from her…she's the one who healed me."

"I'm not protecting you from her; I'm trying to protect her from you!" Sam replied.

"What?" Tricia gasped. "Why?"

"Sam," Rosie rushed over. "Don't!"

"Well, trying seeing this my way," Sam said. "Imagine how I must feel seeing my master kissing my twin sister!"

"Sounds awkward," Josh said, coming over with Morgan.

"Wait…your what?" Frodo stared at him in surprise.

"Twin?" Tricia raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Sam said. "You're my twin…"

"Now that you mention it…" Morgan tilted her head.

"Sam," Rosie cut in. "I know you're a twin, but it's not Tricia."

"You knew I was a twin?" Sam turned to her.

"Wait, I'm confused…" Frodo scratched his head.

"So am I…" Tricia said.

"How did you find out?" Sam demanded.

"I just…" Rosie hesitated. "I figured it out."

"And you didn't tell me?" Sam asked.

"You didn't tell me that you were a twin!" Rosie snapped. "And why would you think Tricia was your twin?"

"Look at her!" Sam said. "Look at her eyes!"

"Sam," Rosie said. "She looks nothing like you! You need to look with your heart instead of your eyes!" She stormed off.

"Rosie…?" Sam said quietly. "Rosie…wait…"

"Well…that was…unexpected." Frodo said.

"Frodo?" Merry and Pippin came up to them. "What's going on? Why are Rosie and Sam fighting?"

"I'm not sure," Frodo admitted. He looked carefully at Tricia. "So apparently, one of the girls is Sam's twin."

"Sam's a twin?" Pippin gasped.

"Yes," Frodo said. "None of us knew, but Rosie somehow figured it out. I think she's mad at him for not telling her."

"I see…" Merry said. "Pip, our dates are coming…act like a human."

"Um…" Pippin hummed.

"Hey guys," Katherine said. "Are your friends okay? It looked like they were fighting."

"Um…" Pippin hummed again. The boys looked at each other uneasily.

"Oh, girl drama…" Tricia said. "You know…how boys are…saying dumb things."

"Okay," Katherine nodded.

Merry looked over at Samantha. "Just…look at her." He mumbled. "Dancing close to him…"

"Are you getting jealous?" Morgan asked him. Katherine looked up at him, ready to laugh. Tricia knew Katherine was easy going, and the most understanding friend a girl could ask for, besides Samantha and Morgan of course.

"I have an idea…" Katherine said. "Here comes the next slow dance. I'll ask Dylan if he wants to dance, and you can ask Samantha."

"Oh no," Merry blushed. "I couldn't… I mean…" Katherine took his hand and dragged him along. "You like her, admit it!"

Tricia walked toward the locker banks. Frodo followed after her.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I need to be alone." Tricia said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's just…" Tricia hesitated. "Don't you ever give up?"

"What do you mean?" Frodo asked.

"First on Halloween, you tell me this story that's supposed to be true, and send creepy cloaked things after me. Then, Mr. White's magic mirror in my dream…"

"Gandalf has a magic mirror?" Frodo asked, almost laughing.

"It was a dream." Tricia said, half lying. She wasn't sure how it happened that day… but it seemed real…she just didn't want it to be real.

"And now Sam thinks I'm his twin?" Tricia finished. "When will this stop?"

"I'm sorry…" Frodo said. "I've been trying not to bring it up…I know how much it makes you angry."

Tricia looked up at him. "Thanks… I guess…"

"Sorry about Sam…I don't think the two of you are related." Frodo said. "I mean… you do have green eyes…like his…but his have more brown in it…it's more hazel. Your eyes are really green."

Tricia shrugged. "Thank you, again…I feel better now." She walked back toward the dance floor. "And look, Merry and Samantha are dancing." She watched as Merry embraced Samantha. Her friend looked back at her and winked. Frodo took Tricia's hand and led her back to the dance.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Discovering Sauron

"Rosie!" Sam called desperately, running through the halls as he struggled to catch up with his fiancé. The one Hobbit lass who truly held his heart and soul in her hands. "Rosie wait up! We need to talk." Finally she stopped, turning to face him, her hands on her hips and face filled with frustration as she stared him down.

"Talk about what Sam? Your complete inability to recognize your own twin?" She asked, making him wince slightly.

"Well if Tricia isn't my twin, then who is?" He demanded, struggling to keep the frustration out of his own voice but he couldn't help it. He felt like weeping inside at the thought that he could have been so wrong about the girl he was sure was his other half. He and Tricia simply had so much in common. They were both extremely protective of their friends. They both loved soup. They were both fairly relaxed and easy going. And most importantly of all they shared the same eyes. How could she not be his twin?

"I can't tell you." Rosie insisted, bringing him out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Why? Because Gandalf said so?" He was surprised at the anger tinging his own voice, ashamed to realize it was not only directed at Rosie, but Gandalf, his mother and father, and even dear old Mr. Bilbo. All the people who insisted on keeping this precious secret from him. It made him sick.

"Because I shouldn't have to!" Rosie shot back, equally angry for the briefest of moments. Then her eyes widened in equal surprise and shame at her own actions, filling with tears as she turned away. She simply couldn't understand how he could be so blind. How he wasn't able to see what was so obvious to her.

Then an entirely strange new thought came to her. How would she feel if their situation were reversed? If she were the one with a twin, and Sam knew who it was but refused to tell her? She'd be going crazy with hurt, confusion, and yes even rage. Rage at being separated from her other half, rage at the breaking of trust, rage at being hurt by the hobbit she loved. The hobbit who claimed to love her in return. How could she blame him for feeling the same way?

"I'm sorry Rosie." Sam said, walking over and putting his arms around her. "I'm just frustrated. Please don't cry."

"No Sam. I'm sorry." She replied, turning around so she should return his embrace. "I know this is hard for you. But you'll figure it out. I have faith in you."

He smiled softly down at her, brushing softly at a strand of hair which had fallen into her face. "Thank you. As long as I have you by my side, there's nothing I can't do." They continued to hold each other for what felt like forever, content for the moment to rely on each other and the comfort they found. The security and belonging which made them one.

"I love you Samwise Gamgee."

"And I love you Rosie Cotton." He leaned in, his lips just about to meet hers when a blood curdling shriek filled the air.

~jb~

Pippin couldn't help but watch as Morgan and Josh danced so elegantly across the dance floor. Their mouths moved every once in a while as one would make a comment and the other respond, before both would laugh or nod their heads enthusiastically in agreement. For the most part they seemed content to remain silent, gliding ever so perfectly along with the music, as they gazed into each other's eyes. It made him sick.

"Is something wrong Pippin?" Shyanne asked, bringing his attention back to the beautiful girl standing right in front of him. The one who was supposed to be his date. His face burned with shame and embarrassment. It wasn't that he didn't like Shyanne, she was a nice enough girl, and a very pretty one at that. But his heart, try as hard as he might to change it, was set on the brown eyed, dark curly haired hobbit on the other side of the dance floor. He knew his chances with her were likely slim, ever since he'd been such an idiotic jerk face when Nico showed up, but that only made him the more anxious to talk to her. To apologize, beg her to forgive him; make her understand how he really felt about her. But did he really deserve her after everything that had happened? He wasn't sure.

"Nothing." He replied nonchalantly, shrugging off her comment as if he truly didn't have a care in the world. "Just a little distracted is all. I'm sorry."

"She's very pretty." He gaped at her, surprised by the comment.

"Who?" He asked even as he began to blush again, flicking his eyes away so he wouldn't have to meet her steady knowing gaze.

"Morgan." She returned, in an equally nonchalant tone, as if having her date pine away after another girl didn't bother her in the least. "It's alright that you like her Pip. She seems like a really nice girl. I think you two would be good together."

"Really?" He asked, not quite daring to hope, and yet unable to resist doing so anyway.

"Really." She assured him, before grinning mischievously. "Of course, I also happen to think you're really cute; especially your accent. So if things don't work out between you, feel free to give me a call." He smiled, grateful for this girl and her kindness. And who knows? Perhaps if things didn't work out with Morgan, if he couldn't undo the damage he'd already done, Shyanne and he could end up together after all. Perhaps. His eyes once again drifted over to Morgan and Josh. Or perhaps not.

"Would you care to dance, Shyanne?" He asked, forcing his attention away. She grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Morgan closed her eyes, silently reveling in the feeling of waltzing with Josh: the way she felt so safe and secure in his arms. The way she trusted his every movement, allowing him to lead her so easily, without hesitation or doubt. Two things which plagued her when she danced with other boys. And now there was simply this added security in knowing he cared for her the same way she cared for him.

Only one thing stood between them: Hobbits. One Hobbit in particular: Mr. Peregrin Took. She'd done a fairly good job of clearing him from her thoughts thus far that night, but it wasn't easy with him there, dancing with another girl. In a way, it almost made it easier for her to focus on Josh. Help her try to avoid the pain and jealousy which might otherwise overwhelm her. After all, Pippin had made his feelings toward her quite clear the other day after the whole Nico incident. While it didn't change her feelings for him, she certainly had no reason to hope.

"Hold on." Josh whispered in her ear, bringing her back to the present in the rush, as he lifted her up in a small spin he'd coordinated perfectly with their waltz. She opened her eyes and smiled, marveling at how much he really knew about dancing and how talented he was. One could tell it was something he was very passionate about, and that passion thrilled her in a strange almost nonsensical way.

"Trying to sweep me off my feet are you, Josh?" She teased, giggling slightly at the usual cocky grin on his face.

"Of course." He agreed, pulling her closer to him; though not close enough to make her feel awkward and uncomfortable or to ruin their form. "Is it working?"

She blushed slightly, before their gazes locked and the mood instantly sobered. "Definitely." She whispered, just as the music came to a stop and the two halted as well.

He began to lean forward, eyes never leaving hers as he did so, and for a moment she held her breath. He was going to kiss her. She knew it. And a part of her wanted him too, the electricity of what such a moment would feel like causing her heart to beat wildly within her chest. And yet…

She'd been telling the truth when she told Pippin she was saving her first kiss for someone she truly loved, whether he believed her or not. And while she cared for Josh, and wanted to believe she was in love with him, her feelings didn't contain the certainty she needed.

"Josh, wait." She whispered, causing him to hesitate just before his lips met hers. There was confusion in his eyes, then simple understanding, before he was violently ripped away from her and punched in the face by an extremely enraged Pippin.

"Get away from her!" He shouted at Josh, who glared down at him in return as he recovered from the shock of the completely unexpected attack.

"Pippin!" Morgan shouted in surprise, glaring at the indignant hobbit as well. What had he been thinking? Was he going to accuse her of lying again? Did he think she couldn't take care of herself? Was he jealous? Was he trying to protect her? What was wrong with him?

"What's the big idea Cheerios?" He demanded.

"You… you…" Pippin stammered, too angry to care how foolishly rash he sounded. "You were going to kiss her."

"Yes…" He drawled narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the comment. "Your point?"

Pippin stood there a moment, hands clenching and unclenching as he struggled to verbally pinpoint the reasons for his actions. "What's gotten into you, Peregrin?" Morgan asked, causing him to wince at the formality of the name. Taking a deep breath he turned to face her, green eyes filled with desperation, frustration, jealousy and… what? She wasn't sure, but it sent shivers down her spine.

"You said… back during the musical… you told me you wanted to save your first kiss… save it for your true love." He stammered awkwardly. "I couldn't let him steal that from you."

For a moment Morgan was stunned: completely speechless. Then the worlds fell out, almost completely against her will, sounding numb and harsh. "So you believe me after all, huh?" The words came out just in time, stopping Josh just as he was about to reach out and throttle Pippin's neck. Instead the two boys gaped, unsure what to do, say, or feel.

"I… of course I believe you."

"What about Nico? You can't believe us both Pip, so which is it?"

"You, Morgan." The words came quick and without reservation. She wanted to believe him; but somewhere in her heart she just couldn't. "I believe you."

"That's not what you said before." Josh growled, taking a menacing step toward the hobbit before Morgan instinctively moved in between the two of them.

"You be quiet!" Pippin snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"You just accused me of trying to steal a kiss from Morgan." Josh shot back voice growing in anger and defensiveness as he seemingly prepared to launch himself forward. "After everything you've done, you accused _me_ of hurting the girl I love. This is very much my concern."

"It's alright Josh." Morgan intervened, doing her best to keep the situation contained. "I can handle this." She stared him down until his eyes reluctantly met hers and he finally nodded. Then she redirected her attention to the floundering Peregrin Took.

"Morgan I'm sorry." He began, his tone filled with the same agony which filled his eyes. "Sorry for everything I did and said to you that day when Nico showed up. I was just so hurt and confused… but I'm not anymore. I know now I was wrong, and I want to make it up to you. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Just please forgive me."

Their gaze locked for a long moment, as she studied his expression, searching for sincerity. Searching for the hobbit she'd been falling in love with. "Pippin, it isn't just a matter of forgiveness." She finally sighed, lowering her head and breaking whatever connection might have been silently brewing between them.

"What do you mean?"

"I trusted you Pip." She explained nonchalantly. "I've never told anyone about my desire to save my first kiss. Not even Josh. If he had known I'm sure he never would have attempted it. In fact, if you must know I had already managed to stop him before you came barreling in like some sort of crazed bull. No, Josh wasn't going to hurt me. But you did; because even after all the trust I put in you, somehow you couldn't put the same trust in me.

"That's what you need to worry about Pip. Not my forgiveness; my trust. Because I can promise you it's going to be a lot harder to earn back now that it's broken."

"How?" He whispered, still sounding desperate but far less hopeful. "What must I do?"

She simply shrugged in response. "I don't know. Honestly, I don't even know why you care." With this, Morgan turned and began to walk away, not bothering to check if Josh was following her or not when she heard the words. They were little above a whisper, but no less filled with determination than if they'd come at a full shout.

"Because I'm falling in love with you, Miss Morgan Kennedy. Because I _am_ in love with you."

What happened next came so fast, no one could have stopped it. Josh lunged for Pippin, tackling him to the ground. They jealous boys began to fight, wildly throwing punches, trying to gain advantage over the other. Morgan gaped in stunned horror.

"I won't let you hurt her again!" Josh roared at the top of her lungs. "I won't let you break her heart!"

"It's your heart that's going to be broken!" Pippin snarled back. "She's not in love with you. She wouldn't even let you kiss her."

"Pippin!" Morgan shouted angrily. "Josh!" But neither boy listened, just continued to shout insults at each other while rolling around on the ground. The whole school had gathered around them now. She could feel all their eyes on them, staring at the two boys pummeling one another, then gawking at her as if to say: _All this, over you? _

She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her heart breaking in two, going out to both contenders, making her want to scream and collapse in a muddled piece on the ground. Instead she ran. Ran right out of the school, not bothering to wait for any of her friends who were desperately trying to make their way towards her. "Morgan!" Tricia cried, but it was too late. She was gone.

Outside Morgan began to sob uncontrollably. How had this happened? How had her life come to this? A year ago, no boy would even look at her besides Josh, and he only as a friend. And now he claimed to love her, the way she thought she loved him. Yet there was also Pippin, the dashing young hobbit who had come crashing into her life, sweeping her off her feet with his charm, sense of humor, and constant inclination toward adventure. Not to mention her true identity, he and the others had given her. So what was she supposed to do? Who was she supposed to choose? Could she forgive Pippin, or should she simply stick with Josh? Loyal Josh who had always taken care of her. Always.

"Miss Kennedy?" A voice asked from behind her, and she bolted upward startled. It was Mr. Kochevar, coming out to check on her while Gandalf and the other Vice Principals/school administration handled the fight going on inside. "Are you alright?"

She nodded her head, not daring to turn and face him in shame of the tears which streaked down her face. "I'm fine." She managed to croak out, but the sound was anything but convincing.

The Principal sighed and took a few steps forward, coming to stand right behind her. "I'm so sorry about what happened. That young Peregrin Took is quite the trouble maker. I can assure you, he will be reprimanded for his actions. Both boys will." Morgan bit her lip to keep herself from crying even harder. This was the last thing she wanted to hear at the moment, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome." He replied, sounding quite satisfied with himself. "Now why don't come back inside? It's quite chilly out here. You'll catch a cold."

"I'll be in, in a minute." She insisted nonchalantly, sniffing a little as she struggled to wipe away the tears.

"All right. As you wish." He replied soothingly, as he reached out to place a strong hand on her shoulder in what was surely meant as a comforting gesture.

In less than an instant a vision took over Morgan's mind so completely, she let out a yelp of surprise. Then the whelp became an all-out scream, as she recognized the image from Frodo's stories. The image which had haunted her nightmares over the last few months since the hobbits arrival. Perhaps even before that, during the infancy she could no longer remember.

The Eye of Sauron.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**I Believe**

**Jessie Brown**

Christmas Break had gone in a blink of an eye. Tricia invited her friends to her house and they celebrated and watched the ball drop. It was now 2014, and school was starting in the next few days.

Tricia decided to invite Morgan over to watch a movie. Morgan brought _A West Side Story_. Tricia, surprisingly enough, had never seen it. She enjoyed it very much and was glad for the chance to see it.

After the movie, Morgan seemed uneasy.

"Are you okay?" Tricia asked. "I really enjoyed the movie."

"I'm fine," Morgan said. "I'm glad you enjoyed it…but… that's not what's bothering me."

"Oh," Tricia nodded. "Is it Pippin and Josh? If they're going to behave like that then I wouldn't waste my time with either of them…"

"No, it's not them either." Morgan said. "It's just… we need to talk about it…I want to talk about it…"

"What?" Tricia tilted her head, clearly confused.

"That night…I went outside…" Morgan said. "Mr. Kochevar came to talk to me."

"Yeah?"

"Well, he tried to comfort me… I think… and he put a hand on my shoulder…" Morgan took a deep breath before she continued. "I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"The Eye…" Morgan's voice shook. "The Eye of Sauron."

"You…saw something?" Tricia asked, furrowing her brow in concern. "Like…in your mind?"

"Yes," Morgan nodded. "That's why I screamed."

"You sure scared the heck out of everyone." Tricia mused.

"Sam and Rosie came to my aid. Kochevar had walked away as if nothing happened. They immediately took me to Gandalf…uh, I mean, Mr. White. When I told him what happened, he said he was glad to know who and where Sauron was now."

"Why are you telling me this?" Tricia asked.

"Samantha believes…" Morgan said. "And… I believe… It took me a while."

"When did you decide this?" Tricia asked. She was mad because Morgan hadn't decided to tell her about this before.

"After we went tubing, and I bumped my head." Morgan said.

"You think Mr. Kochevar is that… Sauron guy?" Tricia asked, almost laughing. "Seems far-fetched, don't you think?"

"I know what I saw." Morgan insisted patiently, taking Tricia's hands and gripping them tightly with her own. "I can't deny it…"

"Why are we talking about this?" Tricia asked.

"Because…" Morgan hesitated, her grip becoming tighter. Tricia's hands were turning red. "I want you to believe…if only you knew what I know…"

"I can't," Tricia yanked her hands away and stood up. She began to pace around the room.

"Why?" Morgan asked curiously.

"It's… I don't know… it's not…" Tricia sighed in frustration as she struggled to find the right words.

Morgan stood from the bed and walked up to her friend. "Are you afraid of the truth because that might mean you're adopted? Are you afraid because that could mean you'll have to leave your home and family?"

"I already know I'm adopted!" Tricia snapped. "I have no home! I have no family!"

Morgan's eyes widened in surprise. Her eyebrows raised so high they almost touched the top of her head.

"What…?" Morgan finally whispered.

"I was adopted…six…times…" Tricia said slowly, trying not to break down in front of Morgan. "My real parents dumped me, and then I was dumped at the foster system… I was adopted…and dumped…I was unloved…I was abused…I was too expensive… And now these two don't have… _any _time for me…" Tricia broke into tears. Morgan embraced her friend.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Morgan asked, trying not to cry herself.

"Because I didn't want you to feel bad for me, or worry…" Tricia said in a muffled, sobbing voice as she buried her face in Morgan's shoulder. "I haven't even told Frodo about any of this…"

"Tricia…" Morgan whispered, brushing her friend's hair with her fingers.

Tricia backed away. "But Frodo is the best thing that's ever happened to me." She seemed to lighten up. "He has been there for me…as I'm going through this hard time. And Rosie…I've never had a friend like her…"

"She is one of a kind." Morgan agreed.

"Sometimes I just want to move in with them." Tricia continued. "I can get away from this place…find an official home…"

"So… that's why you're always jumpy." Morgan mused as she connected the dots in her mind. "That's why you can't sit still…that's why you had that panic attack…" Morgan thought for a long moment before her face lit up in realization. "That's why you don't believe…you don't want to move to another home… and you're afraid you'll have the same disappointments as you had here. Oh Tricia, how easy! Don't you see? I'm sure you're real parents wanted to keep you! They had to give you up because they wanted to keep you safe… they would do anything for you!"

"Perhaps you're right." Tricia shrugged. "They would do anything for me… But you're not the only one who's had visions and dreams, Morgan. If all of this was true, that means my real parents would die for me…They're dead Morgan." Tricia sighed and sat on her bed. "I'm done talking about this."

Morgan sighed. She wondered how many times Frodo brought this up whenever he talked to her. She marveled at his patience and understanding. She wondered if she shouldn't talk about the subject anymore until Tricia was ready.

"I'm sorry Tricia." Morgan said. "I… I won't talk about it again…and…your secret is safe with me."

"The word will get out either way." Tricia warned. "Someone's gonna find out…"

~jb~

Tricia had been going through a hard time. During choir, a lot of girls were planning on trying out for the solo. Of course, Mr. Kelly had picked his favorite student to try first. Laura had a power-house voice, but she also would tend to sing through her nose. That was normal for the theatre world, but…this was choir. She had a pretty voice, but Tricia was certainly tired of hearing it. She was surprised she didn't get the part for Winifred, or even the dead butcher's wife. No leads. Tricia wondered if Laura hated her for taking all the parts. Even when they did Joseph together in the late Summer…she choreographed some of the dances. When Tricia had tripped, she didn't seem to notice. When Whitney tripped, Laura helped her to her feet and asked if she was all right…

Tricia shook it off. Yeah, it was Laura's turn now. She didn't mind. But she felt bad for the other girls who planned to try out for the song, especially when Mr. Kelly announced that Laura would have the solo. Really? He didn't give anyone else a chance…?

When Tricia was a junior, Laura had all the solos and leads… The world revolved around her… This year, she didn't really try hard on the tryouts. The other students wondered if she thought she was going to get leads anyway, she didn't need to work for them. She was lazy, so she didn't get leads.

Tricia walked out of the choir room the second the bell rang. She was growing tired of Mr. Kelly's favoritism. He probably regretted giving her the role. Well…that was his problem. She was _too good_ for him, and that thought comforted her.

At lunch, she sat in silence. Her friends all sat around her and made conversation of their own.

She felt someone take her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. She looked up to see Frodo giving her an encouraging smile. She smiled back, reassuring him she was fine. They pressed their foreheads together and Tricia closed her eyes.

"Yuck, could you two not?" Merry gagged. "Some of us are here to eat lunch, not watch you two being all...lovey dovey…"

"Leave them alone." Rosie said.

"But... oh, fine…" Merry sighed. Tricia giggled.

~jb~

Sauron decided he could still make Frodo Baggins suffer, despite the loss of connection. He worked his last bit of magic to poison a cupcake he brought from the grocery store. He sent a student aid down to get Tricia from her current classroom. He waited patiently for her to come into his office.

The girl walked in hesitantly, unsure what the principal wanted from her. This was Sauron's favorite part of his job. Whenever he called a student down to his office, they had that questioning look on their faces. It was as if they were asking: _Am I in trouble? _And he enjoyed the fear very much.

"Hello Miss Tims," He sneered. "Have a seat." Tricia sat down in the seat across from him. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay."

"Um…thank you…" Tricia said.

"I noticed you seem…unable to sit still." Sauron continued. "Tell me, do you have ADD, PDHD? Something like that?"

"Well," Tricia hesitated. "I haven't been tested for anything, no…"

"All right," Sauron nodded. "Is everything all right at home?"

Tricia was quiet before answering. "Yes," Sauron could tell she was lying, but he wasn't sure why.

"Very well," He finally said. "If you say so. I've just been so worried about you lately." He handed the plastic see-through box to Tricia. "I've bought you a little treat. I've decided to start doing that more often for students who feel like they may need a friend, or someone to talk to."

"Thank you," Tricia said. "But I do have friends…and I have someone I can talk to…" She trailed off. Sauron groaned inwardly. She must be thinking about that hobbit that destroyed his precious Ring and forcing him to live as a mortal…

Sauron cleared his throat. "Well, I wouldn't want this to go to waste." He said.

"Well…" Tricia examined the cupcake. "I do like chocolate…"

"Excellent!" Sauron cheered, handing her the box. "I hoped you would. Enjoy it!"

"Thanks," Tricia replied, standing up. "I will," She left his office.

Sauron grinned and leaned back in his chair. "She may have healed him." He muttered to himself. "But now I shall take her away from him! It will destroy him and make him weak!" He chuckled at his own genius.

~jb~

Tricia decided to save her cupcake by placing it in her locker and eating it when she got home. She took the cupcake out of her locker and placed the box into her bag when school ended. Frodo walked up to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Do you want to study together?" Tricia asked.

"Of course," Frodo said. "Will there be food?"

"Yes," Tricia said.

She drove Frodo to her house. Once they got to the large house, they got out of the car and walked inside, hand in hand. Frodo sat on the couch and took his book out for U.S. Government. Tricia went into the kitchen and decided to share her cupcake with Frodo. She took the box out of her backpack and set it on the counter. She set the cupcake on a plate, grabbed two forks, and brought out the sugary treat to Frodo.

"What's that?" He asked, looking up from his homework.

"Oh," Tricia shrugged. "It's something I got from Mr. Kochevar. He called me down to his office and asked how I was doing. Then he gave me this cupcake. I wonder if he's trying to buy his students over or something…"

"Wait," Frodo looked at the cupcake suspiciously. "Kochevar gave that to you?"

"Yeah," Tricia said.

Frodo suddenly reached over and took the plate from her. He stood up and backed away from her. "Trish, I don't think you should eat this."

"Why?" Tricia asked. "Do you think I'll get fat?"

"Of course not!" Frodo snapped. "I just think it's suspicious that he gave this to you. You can't just take food from strangers! What if he poisoned it?"

"Oh, Frodo," Tricia rolled her eyes. "You're just being paranoid. Give me the cupcake, I'll prove to you it's not poisoned."

"No," Frodo said. "You give me a fork, and I'll prove to you it is!"

"No," Tricia said. "Give me the cupcake,"

"Give me a fork," Frodo said.

"Cupcake!"

"Fork!"

"Cupcake!"

"Fork!"

"Cupcake!"

"Fine!" Frodo took the cupcake off the plate and held it in his hands. "I'm sorry Trish, but I have to do this." He took a large bite out of the cupcake, chewed and swallowed.

Everything was perfectly fine for a moment.

"See?" Tricia said. "I told you it wasn't poisoned." Frodo dropped the plate and the cupcake. The plate fell to the floor and broke into two. The cupcake bounced around his feet. Frodo closed his eyes and fell to the floor.

"Frodo?" Tricia raised an eyebrow. "Frodo? Very funny Frodo. Can you just admit that you were wrong now?" But Frodo didn't stir. "Frodo…? Frodo!"

Tricia's hands began to shake. She got down onto the floor and noticed he wasn't breathing properly. Panicking, Tricia grabbed her phone and dialed 911.

The phone rang for a moment.

"911, what's your emergency?" A lady replied from the other end.

"Yes, someone has fainted in my house!" Tricia said, breathing heavily. "He…he ate a cupcake and then fainted…"

"Is he choking?"

"No, he ate a cupcake and passed out." Tricia replied.

After a few minutes, Tricia grew tired of the questions the operator was asking.

"I don't have time for this!" Tricia snapped. "I need to get him to the hospital!" Tricia hung up her cell phone and pushed it into her pocket. She hastily placed the cupcake into a plastic bag and took Frodo's backpack. After she placed them into her car, she threw his arm around her shoulder and struggled to get him to the car.

~jb~

The doctors immediately pulled the bed into a room. They hastily began working to figure out how they could make him conscious again.

"Can you tell us what happened?" One of the nurses asked Tricia as she stood in the room, watching.

"He…he ate this…" Tricia held out the bag with shaky hands. "And then he just…passed out…"

"I see," The nurse said, taking the bag and examining the cupcake. "You were smart to save this. We'll check it for any traces of poison." She walked out of the room.

While the nurse was gone, Tricia watched helplessly as they took the defibrillator and placed it onto Frodo's chest.

"Clear!" The doctor cried out and Frodo's body jolted, but didn't respond.

"Clear!" They tried again. Tricia winced as she watched the lifeless Frodo jump again. He still didn't respond.

"Clear!" They tried for a final time, and still couldn't get a response. Tricia watched as they shoved a tube down his throat. She couldn't stop herself from crying.

The nurse finally came back in with the cupcake. "I'm sorry, but we couldn't find any trace of poison." She paused when she noticed the tears falling down Tricia's face. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but if we can figure out what poisoned him, we will be able to figure out how to save him. Now, I need you to look through his backpack and see if you can find anything else, all right?"

Tricia nodded and brushed away her tears. She opened his backpack and dumped everything onto the floor. Pencils, books, and notebooks fell out. She couldn't see any food. Suddenly, an old, red, leather-bound book plopped onto the floor. She set down the back pack and picked up the red book. She opened it up to the first page.

_Concerning Hobbits_

Suddenly, Tricia's mind seemed to click. She suddenly remembered the vision she saw in the mirror. She remembered her dreams, only now they were as clear as crystal glass. She realized they were not dreams the whole time. They were memories. She remembered when Bilbo Baggins himself had found her in the box. She remembered Gandalf holding her and taking her to this strange world. It now seemed so strange to her…now that she knew she didn't belong there. She almost wept for joy at the thought that her birth parents wanted to keep her. They wanted to keep her! They loved her! She was loved!

Principal Kochevar walked into the room, looking around curiously and looking pleased. Tricia narrowed her eyes at him. Frodo was telling the truth the whole time; about everything! He would never lie to her! She stood up to face him. He looked at her in surprise and disappointment.

"Sir," The nurse walked up to him. "What brings you here?"

"I heard one of my students had been injured or poisoned." Mr. Kochevar replied. "I came here to see how they were doing."

"Mr. Kochevar, may I talk to you for a moment?" Tricia asked him through gritted teeth.

"Excuse us, nurse," Kochevar said before following Tricia out into the hallway. She quickly turned around and punched him in the face. She took his collar and pinned him to the wall. A few passersby's paused and stared at them, surprised to see a teenage girl punch a grown man in the face.

But Tricia didn't care. She didn't even care if she punched her principal. She was too angry to control herself.

"You!" She growled loudly. "You did this to him!"

"That cupcake was meant for you!" Kochevar growled back, blood dripping from his lip.

"Why?" Tricia asked. "What did I ever do to you?"

"As long as you were alive, you were a threat!" He replied.

"A threat?" Tricia said. "You wanted me gone so Frodo would suffer, is that it?"

"Yes,"

"Then you are who I think you are!" Tricia said. "Morgan was right. You are Sauron!"

"And I will win!" Sauron replied. Tricia pushed him away.

"Get the heck out of here!" She shouted. Sauron backed away and left the hospital.

"Tricia!" Sam rushed over and embraced her. "What's going on?"

"I received a call, saying Frodo had been poisoned," Gandalf walked up to them, followed by Rosie, Merry, and Pippin.

"Gandalf!" Tricia cried, running up to the wizard and throwing her arms around him. "I… I believe!"

Gandalf was taken aback for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her as well. "You do…? Good…very good."

"Finally!" Merry said.

"We were wondering when you were going to join the party!" Pippin said. Sam and Rosie gazed at each other, glad to see their friend was now a believer.

"Excuse me," The nurse walked out to address the group. "You should come in…the doctor wants to talk to you."

The group walked into the room. Someone was pulling the tube out of Frodo's throat. Tricia had to look away from him. Frodo's skin was even more pale than usual. All life had seemed to leave him.

A doctor walked up to them, taking off his gloves. He looked at them with sad eyes.

"We lost him…" He said.

The group stared at him in unbelief. Rosie wrapped her arm around Tricia's trembling shoulders. Pippin's eyes were filled with shock and tears fell down from all their faces.

"We'll let you have a moment with him." The doctor said. He nodded respectably to them before leaving the room.

Sam was the first to walk up to the bed. He wept over his best friend's body. Rosie hurriedly walked over to him and rested her head on his shoulder, making an attempt to comfort the hobbit she loved. Merry and Pippin walked up to the bed and looked down at their cousin. Merry's face was shocking. He seemed to grieve more than Pippin. To Sam, Frodo looked the way he had when he was poisoned by Shelob. He was very beautiful…very elf-like.

Finally, Tricia stepped forward. The hobbits stepped aside and gave her some room. She leaned down and whispered. "I'm sorry…" She paused. "I love you," She continued before she planted a kiss on his cold lips.

Suddenly, Frodo's body trembled. His skin darkened and he coughed. He opened his eyes and took deep, panicked breaths. Everyone looked at him in surprise, for they all thought he was dead.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Where are my clothes…what am I doing here?"

"Oh, Frodo!" Tricia cried and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You were right! I never should have doubted you!"

"Trish…" Frodo sat up and pulled her close to him. "You're all right…"

"We thought you were a goner!" Merry cried.

"How is it that you're still alive?" Pippin asked. "How do you do it? How are you still alive…?"

"Well, you see Pippin," Gandalf said. "Some of us are natural healers. I could sense Tricia's natural healing when I first held her. I was burdened with the pain a battle had left. But when I held her as a baby, all the pain was gone. The memory lingered, yes, but the burden was lighter."

"So, you've healed me twice!" Frodo said to Tricia. "And you've lightened my burden…" Tricia looked at his chest. His scars were still there, but they were fading, as though they were healing properly.

"That's why Sauron wanted to get rid of me," Tricia said. "He didn't want you to heal."

"And that's why I had to keep you safe." Gandalf said. "I knew you would be needed someday."

"It's not safe for me anymore." Tricia said. "He could come after me at any time…"

"Don't be afraid." Gandalf reassured her. "We will figure something out."

"I won't let him hurt her!" Frodo declared. "I won't let anything happen to her!"

"Well, at least let _me _help you!" Gandalf snapped. "You've already proven you will protect Tricia, but you nearly gotten yourself killed trying to do it! Now…" Gandalf took a deep breath. "Tricia, I can't let you move into our home, at least for now. You've moved around long enough. But I can put a spell on your house, so Sauron will not be able to find it."

"That sounds…pretty awesome…" Tricia giggled, unable to contain herself.

"But trust me," Gandalf said. "When the time comes, I will find you a real home, I promise."

Tricia threw herself into his arms and cried. "Thank you…"


End file.
